Chrono Loop
by Denebola Leo
Summary: 500 years later, and the Planet has finally recovered from the blight of mako energy. But now the Calamity stirs again, and two ancient heroes are pulled into the future to save the world again. From meeting descendants and old friends to dealing with the will of the lifestream herself, none will be left unscathed.
1. Scents of the Past

Another year, another trek to Midgar. Again he did not go alone, his grandchildren old enough to make the journey from Cosmo Canyon to the forested wilderness of what used to be Edge and Midgar. Again he would tell the story of his journey with the greatest of heroes, and again he would introduce the young ones to the only two-legged friend he had left on this planet.

Nanaki's paws bounced off of the hard surface of the plateau he traveled, two young cubs keeping up with his stride. It was the same path he had taken for centuries to visit old friends long gone and a church that was unrecognizable by any but he and Vincent. That place was sacred still, after so long.

The cliff face was in front of them now and Nanaki leapt, followed by the cubs. They hopped their way to the top, dust coating their legs as they made the final hop to the top. They approached and looked upon Midgar, a mesh of grey metal and green vegetation that finally took over the land three centuries ago.

Nanaki looked at his grandchildren, nodded, then let out a triumphant roar. They mimicked him as best they could, and he chuckled after a few moments. He looked over the ruins below them.

"This is Midgar. Or, what _used_ to be Midgar."

One of the cubs tentatively stepped towards the cliff's edge, getting a good look at the scenery. "You said the humans used to live here?"

Nanaki nodded as he turned to look at the cub. "Yes, Khlali. Some still live nearby, but not within the ruins."

"What about them? Are they like the ones you talked about?"

His eye found the cub on his other side. "No. They live with the Planet, just like the ones that still live in Cosmo Canyon do, Reki."

Reki swished his tail. "Can we meet them?"

Nanaki shook his head. "Not today. Some of them know us, but most are wary." He looked back at Midgar. "Let's go."

He guided the cubs down to the Midgar plains, letting them take their time down the narrow passage on the face of the cliff.

The forest was deep and dark and full of life, noisy from birds and insects. If only the cubs had seen what it had been before! Nanaki guided them all the while feeling a deep nostalgia well up. Nostalgia and longing. How long had it been since he came here to see not just a friend, but friends? His eye saw the dusty ground of the Midgar Wastes for an instant.

Such a long time ago, but he could recall it as if it were yesterday. He wished the faces were the same. The voices, he remembered them. They came to him rarely. Just whispers on the wind or with murky images in a waking dream, telling him they were there with him. In his younger decades he would never have thought he would have grown so fond of humans after they had done so much to him and the Planet, but here he was, longing for a hug or being called "Red".

A clearing came into view after an hour of prowling and herding curious cubs. It was cradled by whatever remained of the plates above. Crumbled stone covered in moss enclosed a pool of spring water that was surrounded by yellow and white lilies. Pale sunbeams lit the holy space.

One wall was still somewhat intact; it was three feet high and crumbling little by little every year. Behind it was the burial mound of two heroes. It was a simple thing, made of round stones and a fading memorial stone that he and Vincent would clean. Nanaki had taken a few villagers of interest who lived near by to the mound to pay their respects.

"This was a church, a long time ago. No matter if the walls are crumbled, it is still a holy place." Nanaki came up to the spring as he minded his paws around the flowers a scent reached his nose, triggering something deep in his memory; perhaps it was a phantom smell from centuries past. "Humans made Midgar, and made many threats to the Planet. But, they also risked their lives to protect it.

"Midgar was a city that was full of humans and nightmares. The ground would not bare life, and the city used the Lifestream to power everything. It sucked away at the Planet's blood, and the green world around you was once a wasteland of dust and monsters." He looked at his reflection in the pool. His ochre eye looked back, studying the scar where his other eye should be.

Khlali hopped onto a collapsed and crumbling pillar. She balanced herself on the vine covered rubble. "Why did they try to kill the Planet?"

Nanaki looked back and rubbed his nose with the back of his fore paw. "It was greed. They were not trying to kill the Planet on purpose. But, it was the cost to be comfortable, and most ignored the possibility that the land they lived on would one day die because of them."

Reki huffed before bounding over to the pool. He sniffed around, sneezed, then batted at the water before looking up at his grandfather. "Humans sound stupid. No wonder you avoid them back home!"

Nanaki let out a deep chuckle. "Sometimes they can be very short sighted, but I don't avoid them because of their past mistakes."

"Why then?"

The large red beast tightened his jaw. Because they die too soon, and one group that were close enough to call family was enough, he thought. "It's for the best. I ask you not to be disdainful of humans, however."

Khlali tripped when she charged too quickly on the pillar, and bounced on her side as she fell the few inches to the ground. She shook her head and stood up again. "Is it because they stopped being stupid?"

"Yes, they aren't..." Nanaki sniffed again and frowned. That wasn't a phantom smell. He brought his nose low to the ground and studied the scent...no, scents. He knew these scents, but where were they from? They were human, but they were familiar humans.

"What do you smell, Grandfather?" Reki asked. He mimicked Nanaki. "I smell humans." While the cubs may not have had much contact with the humans who lived in Cosmo Canyon, they learned the scent at an early age.

"It is humans..." He continued to sniff as Khlali joined them. It was comforting, but also disconcerting; something in his mind was screaming out at him, a deep memory from centuries past. Nanaki lifted his head and trotted towards the back wall. The smell was here by the mound, too.

"Grandfather, what's wrong?" Khlali asked as she followed him with Reki not far behind. "Are they bad human scents?"

Nanaki looked around, his breath growing quicker and his ears pulled back. He knew these scents, who did they belong to? "No...no, it's not bad. Just familiar." He tried to calm himself after swallowing heavily. Why was he on the verge of panic?

"Is it the man you wished us to meet? Vinseent?" Khlali cocked her head.

Reki rolled his eyes. "Not Vinseent, Veencent!"

"My name is pronounced Vincent."

The three looked to the side to observe a man wrapped in black and red slowly walking towards them. His long raven hair cascaded down his shoulders and onto his pale face. Despite the change in outfit over the centuries, the mysterious man always wore red and black. Black leather clothing, a bronze gauntlet he never got rid of, and a red mantle that almost matched the color of his eyes. His boots were no longer pointed with metal, but rounded and black.

The two cubs walked behind Nanaki and pulled their ears back. This human looked and smelled strange to them.

"Long time no see, Vincent," Nanaki said as he tried to calm down.

Vincent nodded, took a few steps closer and knelt down next to the red beast. "Paying your respects without me?" he gently chided. He raised a brow as he began to notice the concern on Nanaki's face.

"No, I..." He bent down to sniff again. It was all mingling together and all that was missing was the scent of a campfire to complete it. "I smell something, Vincent."

Vincent cocked his head. "What is it?"

"It...it smells like humans and mako, and...like the mahogany of the pagodas of Wutai. It smells like youth and..." It started to hit him then, it clicked in his head who those scents belonged to. But that was impossible, their bones were turning to dust! "It smells like _them_ , Vincent."

"...Them?" Vincent gave him a piercing stare.

Reki and Khlali inched away from Nanaki's backside to peer at his face. They looked back and forth between the two. "Who?" Reki asked.

Nanaki stood up. "Friends. Old friends. I-I think it's..." He began to follow the trail into the forest. "I will find them. If it is them."

The two cubs looked back at Vincent warily as he stood up. Nanaki looked back at them. "It's alright, you two. I trust Vincent with my life. I have done so many times in the past. I trust him with you, too."

"If you say so, Grandfather," Khlali replied back as they began to follow Nanaki. As Vincent followed them it put a spring in their step. They had heard that Vincent was a little scary when one first met him, but to the cubs he was downright intimidating.

"Nanaki, are you sure it is their scents? It's been so long."

Nanaki continued to follow the haphazard trail that led towards the ruins of Edge. "Unless I am finally going senile, yes, I am sure."

Vincent snorted. "Let's hope you aren't."

Nanaki looked back, stared at Vincent for a good long moment, then smiled before turning around to sniff some more.

It was late afternoon when the trail became stronger, moving this way and that way as it zigzagged from ruin to rubble, then turned towards the coast and a few wisps of smoke that raised from the canopy of trees. "I suppose you two will meet some villagers today after all."

He quickened his pace as a human foot made path created an area for easy travel. "Cloud...Yuffie...We're coming," he whispered as the cicadas and birds sang in the trees.


	2. From Past to Present

The church was always Cloud's favorite haunt when he wanted a little solitude from the world, especially after killing any monsters he could find in the area for a small workout before going home. No moving scenery, no bustling bar or kids. Oh, he loved it all. The road, Tifa, the kids and his friends. But sometimes, he needed an hour of silence. Cloud thought that perhaps he was being selfish, but he really needed it lately.

He had taken on more jobs, much to Tifa's chagrin. Cloud told her it was just for a little while, and when the kids go to Corel with Barret soon they could take a trip to Costa del Sol for some personal time. She had smiled weakly at the mention of a vacation and told him she looked forward to it. Tifa obviously thought he was just saving up for a trip for the two of them.

Cloud looked at the little golden ring that sparkled between his gloved fingers, the box in the palm of his other hand. There was a small, light blue diamond set on it. It was rather expensive but after everything she had done for him including putting up with him year after year it was worth it. She would kill him if she ever discovered that some of the jobs he took were actually dangerous monster extermination bounties, he thought to himself.

Not that he couldn't handle it.

He didn't want to add to her stress. It was best she didn't find out. Tifa already seemed more stressed than usual even before he started to take more jobs, getting sick out of the blue or complaining about her head feeling light. Sometimes he would catch her rubbing her abdomen or giving him a faraway look, the same look she gave him after he returned home after defeating Sephiroth.

He turned his head as he heard the door to the church creak open, and he immediately covered the ring with his hand when he saw who it was who came to disturb him: Yuffie. She noticed the uncomfortable look on his face, and she narrowed her eyes and an evil grin grew on her lips. "Of course you'd be here, Spike. Whatcha hidin' in your hand?"

He shoved the ring into the little box and fumbled with his pocket as he tried to jam the thing into it without looking. "Nothin'. Did you get bored loafing around the bar?"

Yuffie huffed as she walked down the aisle, then sat next to Cloud on the pew he occupied. It was right in front of the pool, bubbling five feet away. His eyes followed her the whole time, and he tapped his fingers on his knees. Yuffie looked back at the pool then back at Cloud, her face a little less antagonistic. "Tifa got a little snippy, so I decided to take a walk."

Cloud frowned. "Snippy?" Tifa wasn't the kind to snap at others until she reached a boiling point. Usually.

"Yeah. She gets like that lately."

"I haven't noticed that..."

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "You've been away more. I think I've been around Tifa more than you have the last couple of months."

Cloud grimaced and looked away. Maybe his absence had been taking a larger toll on Tifa than he was aware of. "I'm just tryin' to get some money saved up so she can have a real vacation," he said quietly.

"Did you tell her?"

He looked back and nodded. "Yeah, about a week ago."

Yuffie studied him for a moment, then furrowed her brow gently. "She's worried you're becoming distant again, Spike."

He gave her an incredulous look. "Why would she think that? I told her what it was for!"

The ninja looked at the pool as she reclined on the pew, twiddling her thumbs. "You two are the worst when it comes to communicating, I swear." She looked back at him. "So, what was that shiny thing you had in your hand? Materia?" she asked hopefully.

He blushed furiously. "It's nothin'!" he stammered.

"C'mon! I told ya what Tifa told me," she said with a pout.

Cloud shook his head. "You'd go right to Tifa if I told you."

"No I wouldn't!" she protested.

He smirked as he stood up, picking up and sheathing the Fusion Sword. "Loose lips sink ships, Yuffie. And you got loose lips."

She stood up and crossed her arms. "Well sue me for bein' worried about you two!"

Cloud looked down at the pool and walked towards its edge. "Does it look that bad?" he asked quietly, suddenly serious.

Yuffie followed him and came to his side. She looked at the Buster Sword that stood at the back of the church, then at their reflections in the pool. Cloud had a thoughtful frown on his face. "You're oblivious to the the tension in the bar. I can feel it every time I visit. Even the kids look a little worried." She shifted on her feet. "Tifa said one day that she thought you might leave again," she admitted.

"I wouldn't do that." He let out a harsh sigh as he closed his eyes. "...I've been working extra so I could...buy her a ring," he mumbled.

Yuffie's head snapped up to look at him. "You bought a ring? Cloud, are you gonna marry Tifa?!"

He turned his head and opened his eyes before nodding. "If she'll let me. I wanted to propose at Costa del Sol while the kids visit Barret."

She started to giggle and snort, and Cloud tightened his jaw. "What's so funny?"

"I was startin' to think you didn't have a romantic bone in your body!" Yuffie jabbed playfully.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not that bad, come on."

Yuffie rubbed a tear from her eye. "I guess not, if you're going through all this trouble for her. Well, why not call up Barret and see if he can get the kids a little sooner?"

Cloud shook his head. "I'm done collecting the funds. I should probably take a day off tomorrow and have some family time if they're really that worried." He gave Yuffie a shy smile. "Thanks for telling me."

She smiled back. "Yeah, well. You're like the annoying big brother I gotta keep on an eye on," she said flippantly.

He chuckled. "Thanks." He glanced about and noticed the angle of the sunlight that found its way into the church, then looked back at Yuffie. "It's getting a little late in the afternoon, I'll give you a ride back to the bar."

Yuffie nodded, then turned around with Cloud. They took a step forward only to have an invisible force push them into the pool. Cloud grabbed Yuffie and held her protectively as they hit the surface of the water, cradling her against their unseen attacker. They didn't feel the water around them as they fell in, just a strange sensation as if they were turned upside down and then surfaced again.

As they opened their eyes they felt that might just be what happened. Their feet were on solid ground, familiar white and yellow lilies sprouting between their feet. They weren't even wet! "Um..."

Cloud slowly released Yuffie and looked up as the sound of cicadas hit his ears. It looked sort of like Midgar, but it was so...green. They both looked around them; the church was gone. Yuffie looked back at the pool at their heels. "Where are we? Did we like, jump into some bizarro world?"

"I dunno." It felt like the church. He looked around some more before carefully walking away from the pool, minding his step around the flowers. The air held a slight chill and mugginess to it, a familiar feeling from the summer mornings he would wake in a forest after camping the night before.

There were stones all about them, and he wasn't sure if they were ruins or natural formations, but as he turned around he noticed one mass looked a bit like a wall. Cloud noticed there was something beyond it that didn't look as natural. "I'm gonna look over here."

Yuffie followed him the short distance to the stony mound, and they crouched in front of it as they noticed a stone rectangle with extremely worn lettering on it sat at the base of it. Cloud squinted his eyes as he attempted to read what was left of it.

"C...o...d...S...t...e...86, i...a...e...19, ber...45...Geeze. I can't really get any information off of this."

Yuffie could see even less considering the shade of the area. "This place is boring." She looked up and frowned at the plant incased metal above them. "Hey, if this is like an alternate world, maybe there's something the way of Edge?"

Cloud shrugged before standing up. "Maybe."

Yuffie glanced at the pool. "Or maybe we could get back if we went into the water?" She hummed with her head to the side and arms crossed. "But if it doesn't work we're gonna get soaked..."

"Right. Well, we can try that later. Right now we should probably see if there's anyone around that could help us." He pat Yuffie on the back before walking towards the direction of Edge. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that there wouldn't be a city where it should be.

Travel was difficult, but if there were any monsters around they fortunately stayed away. The forest was thick and trails were hard to find. Yuffie kept slapping at mosquitoes on her arms and occasionally his face, getting her narrowed eyes from her friend. "You don't have to do that!"

"Fine! Have itchy cheeks for all I care!"

He rolled his eyes before pushing through some foliage. "They'd probably die from all the mako in my blood," he half joked. "I'm more worried about where we've ended up..." And if there was a way back home, he thought.

There was another clearing, rubble scattered throughout that was entwined with tree roots. A circle of cracked stone stood in the center with a bit of rounded metal here and there, red with rust. Yuffie delicately touched a piece only for it to crumble.

Cloud stood there with a hand rubbing his chin for a few minutes. He motioned towards his friend to follow him, and they took what looked like a path that led deeper in. The forest had slowly become more muggy as the day wore on, and eventually they would have to set up camp if they didn't find a town to spend the night in.

In his mind this is where Seventh Heaven should be, but all he saw were trees. Cloud couldn't even tell if there were ruins in this area to begin with. "Hm."

"You have no idea where you're going, do ya Spike?"

He shook his head. "This was the area the bar would be at. I was hoping for some sort of clue..." They walked some more, to another clearing. They both looked up towards the canopy. Yuffie pointed towards the north. "That looks like smoke!"

Cloud looked in the direction she was pointing. A small column of white smoke was barely visible above the trees. He guessed it would be from somewhere near the shore, if that hadn't changed as well. He looked towards the ground again and noticed a trail, and pointed at it. "Let's go, Yuffie."


	3. Fisherman's Village

The sun was angled to the west as Cloud and Yuffie approached what looked to be a small fishing village at the edge of the shore. They had broken through the treeline half an hour ago and ended up surrounded by tended fields. The dirt path they traveled led towards the village; another road had branched out to another path to the east.

As they had walked they sighted the occasional farmer, who simply stared in shock at the two as they came towards the village. One of their children charged towards the wooden walls as quickly as they could, while a villager who turned around to lock eyes with Cloud ran off before he or Yuffie could ask questions.

"These people are weird," Yuffie remarked as they came closer to the front gate.

Cloud nodded. He didn't feel like speaking to Yuffie right now, through no fault of her own. He was trying to add up all the puzzle pieces. On the one hand, maybe they were on an alternate planet. What remained of Midgar was there, but Cloud couldn't really tell if Edge ever existed here. _'That was Midgar. Are we in the future...?'_ If so, how far into the future?

Maybe in this dimension Holy and the Lifestream made sure Midgar would never rise again, and created all that growth. Then maybe it was the present, and he could even meet himself here. Cloud looked at the gate as it opened up to let out a surly looking guard; he was going to get answers today if it was the last thing he did.

"Y'aren't gettin' in!"

The guard looked young in Cloud's eyes, and had a passing semblance to Zack with his dark spiky hair. He stood a good half foot taller than Cloud, and his strong brows were creased above his sea green eyes. The young man was tan and marked with small scars here and there. He wore a simple white shirt with a light brown vest that was the same color as his knee high shorts.

His angled face tried to be menacing but his straw sandals and odd looking spear made him look more a seafaring bumpkin than a fighter. Not that Cloud wasn't a bumpkin at heart himself, he mused. Cloud put his hands up to show no hostility and hoped the young man would get the jist of it. "We're just lookin' for an inn to spend the night in."

The young man looked him up and down and gave Cloud a suspicious glare. "Where're y'from, dressed like that?" He pointed at the Combination Sword. "How're you holdin' that on your back?"

Cloud crossed his arms, making the guard tense. "I'm dressed just fine, and it's none of your business."

"Like hell it isn't my business! Y'from Junon or something?" the young man prodded as he gripped his white bladed spear tightly. "Y'speak funny."

"...I'm from Edge."

The guard narrowed his eyes and looked between the two. "Edge, huh? That's why you came outta the forest? What're you, bandits? Trickster ghosts?"

"Ghosts?" Yuffie let out a groan and rubbed her face. "Do we look like ghosts? Ghosts aren't hungry, agitated and tired and needin' a hot bath!"

Cloud turned his head towards the ninja and tsked. "Yuffie..."

The guard huffed. "Bandits then. Or maybe tomb thieves. Get outta here before I jab a hole through you both!"

Cloud glowered at him. "We're not bandits! We're just travelers." Tired, confused, bug-bitten travelers.

"Yeah, I bet." The young guard glowered back, then glanced behind the two. His eyes widened for a moment, then a smug look grew on his face as he stared Cloud in the eyes. "Not that it matters anymore. You're gonna get a thrashin' for darin' to think you could waltz in here and steal from us like the last ones!"

Cloud put a hand on the handle of his sword. The guard had clumsily given away that there was at least one attacker behind them. He tensed and kept his eyes on the guard, the young man moving his spear in front of him and tightening his jaw.

"That will not be necessary," came a deep and familiar voice.

Cloud and Yuffie turned around to two very familiar persons approaching them. Vincent was staring at them both in tandem, his mouth slightly parted in mild shock as he came to a stop in front of them. The only thing different about Vincent seemed to be his clothing, and even then he kept the same color scheme. Nanaki looked...different. Older.

"Grandfather, who are they?" squeaked a little voice behind the beast.

 _'Grandfather?'_ Cloud swallowed hard. He felt his hands shaking as they fell to his sides. "Vincent, Nanaki?" He stared at Nanaki. He was much older than he had been the last he saw him, and that had been a few days ago. His eyes flickered to two shy looking cubs that watched him shyly from behind the red beast. Cloud took a deep breath. "What's going on?"

Nanaki didn't speak, he just looked back at them with an eye full of deep yearning. Vincent coughed to get back Cloud's attention. Those red eyes were for once filled with emotions he could read; he had only ever seen them anywhere like this when Vincent thought of Lucrecia. It was a fond, faraway nostalgia. "We do not know what has happened, but...for you, this is the future."

The guard relaxed his weapon and looked between them all. "What?"

Yuffie scratched her head. "The future? How far into the future?"

Vincent shrugged. "Roughly five hundred years."

"F-five hundred...?" Cloud stammered. This wasn't just the future, this was far into the future. His bones were somewhere in the ground, turning into dust. What he saw was the legacy of he and his friend's war against Sephiroth and Jenova centuries ago.

The Planet flourished, it seemed. He stared off at the distant forest.

Yuffie looked down at Nanaki and anxiously flexed her hands. She was trying her best to stay nonchalant. "You gonna say somethin' or just stare at us, Red?"

She usually dodged his hugs. He would charge her, and she would move, and he would tumble and groan. That was how it was for a few decades until she got too old for that. This time she was so close that all he had to do was lift himself up and grasp about her neck. "H-hey! Red!"

They toppled to the ground as those present watched the spectacle. "Don't call me that," he whispered jokingly as he nuzzled her shoulder and breathed in her scent. "You have no idea how much I've missed you both."

Yuffie squeezed his neck with an arm and rubbed his back with the other. "Y-you turned into a big lummox, didn't you...?" She let out a little sniffle.

He chuckled as he lifted his head. "Oh, Yuffie."

The two cubs walked up to their strangely acting elder. "Grandfather! What are you doing to this human?"

"Saying hello, Khlali."

The guard took a few steps closer. "I don't understand what's goin' on. Elder Nanaki, Elder Vincent, you know these people?"

Vincent looked down at Yuffie and Nanaki as they began to get up again, then looked at Cloud who still had a thousand yard stare, then the guard. He nodded. "Let them in, Corent."

Corent scratched the back of his head. "But we don't have an inn to keep'em at."

Nanaki walked up to him and sat on his haunches. "May we use your home for the night? We promise to tell you all you would like to know about these two..." He had a knowing smile on his face. "And believe me, you would like to know."

The guard wrinkled his brow and bit his lip. He was tapping the pole of his spear as he looked at everyone in turn. "It...It'll be a little cramped. But if you want us to host you..." He turned and opened the gate.

Nanaki nodded and stood on all fours again. "Thank you." He looked at the cubs. "Khlali, Reki. Stay close to me."

The group entered the village. Vincent had to put a hand on Cloud's shoulder to get his attention back to the present, and he and Yuffie both looked about. The houses were made of wood and stone, and there was a pier that hosted simple boats out on the water. They heard the ding of a blacksmith's hammer somewhere nearby, and the sound of clucking chickens and a distant mill. The paths were dirt with cobble here and there.

"This is Aruni, a village that popped up about three hundred years ago," Vincent explained. "I occasionally came in to assist them when they needed the help, so we are familiar with each other."

"Oh." Cloud scratched his arm, the leather of his glove doing him no favors to relieve the itch. The villagers that walked about gave them a wide berth. "What happened to Edge?" he asked quietly.

"We will tell you during dinner. A lot happened."

Yuffie snorted. "Duh. Five hundred years passed, of course a lot of stuff happened!"

"How will we get back?" Cloud asked quietly as he stared in front of him. He was happy to see his friends, happy to see they were alive and happy to see them too. But he had a future waiting for him in the past, which was supposed to be his present. Now the future was his present, and his brain hurt and he felt rather anxious.

Vincent shrugged. "If you found a way here, you will find a way back, I hope. Not that we aren't happy to see you for a visit, of course." He smiled thinly. "But you belong in the past, so this future can come to pass."

Cloud nodded solemnly, then furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? I think I've already done my part, haven't I?"

Nanaki chuckled dryly. "There's much more to your stories. Cloud, how old are you?"

"Almost twenty-six."

"Hm. A little over a year after Deepground, then. I see." Nanaki glanced up at Cloud and Yuffie again. Their faces were both familiar and foreign, a feeling he was used to over the centuries. Visiting someone after a few years always made looking at their face strange until they spent more time with them.

Corent came up to a long home, smoke coming from a grey stone chimney. "This's our home. I live here with my younger sisters, so it's gonna be a little cramped..." He opened the door.

The home was dark but for the fading light from the windows and the glow of the fireplace. The floor was cobbled stone being swept by a young girl with sandy blonde hair. There was a large wooden cupboard and weaved mats rolled up in a corner. The fireplace had a pot hanging inside it.

It was sparsely decorated, without even a dining table. There was a chair in another corner next to a tiny nightstand table. It had a carving knife and some partially cut wood on it. The roof was thatched, and various dried herbs hung from the wooden beams above them.

"Whoa, this is totally roughing it," Yuffie said.

Cloud gently elbowed her. "Will you be quiet?" he hissed.

Corent gave her a look. "This's all we have. If y'gotta problem with it y'can sleep with the chickens out back!"

"Corent! Elder Nanaki and Elder Vincent are visiting?" The girl looked at them, then frowned as she looked at the newcomers. "Who are they?" She studied Cloud's eyes and shuddered at the faint glow just now becoming apparent in the low light of the house. "Is he a ghost?"

Nanaki shook his head and sat to the side; the cubs stayed close to him. "He should be a ghost, but no, he is not." He motioned towards Cloud, then looked at the girl and Corent. "This is your ancestor, Cloud Strife."


	4. Ancient History

The house was filled with silence but for the crackling of the fire in the hearth at Nanaki's proclamation. Corent looked at Cloud in disbelief; he was short, skinny and his eyes were downright disturbing in the shade. "I, uh..." He scratched the back of his neck, then pointed at Cloud and looked at Nanaki and Vincent. "This is Cloud Strife, the man you told us stories of?"

"That's right," Nanaki said.

Corent looked back at Cloud. "Him?"

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Yes, him! That's Cloud." She looked at Nanaki. "What'd you tell him, that Cloud was seven feet tall and a total beefcake?"

Nanaki shook his head. "I suppose he's not as impressive in person...until he starts fighting, that is," he said as the spiky haired warrior looked his way.

Cloud put his hands on his hips. "So Denzel had some kids?"

"Yes, but Corent is mostly of your blood, not Denzel's," Vincent clarified. "There are others here and in other villages and towns, but your blood runs strongest in this family."

"...My blood?" He looked down. "I didn't think I could have kids...Was it with Tifa?"

"Should we ruin the surprise?" Nanaki playfully asked.

"As if this isn't a surprise!" the spiky headed warrior remarked as he motioned his hand towards Corent.

"Yes. You had three children with her. Two sons, and a daughter." Vincent let out a soft chuckle as he sat below a window and next to Nanaki. "Tifa told us you were so surprised the first time it happened you babbled in Nibelese."

Cloud glanced at him and smiled weakly. "I guess I can't give her that pleasure, now that I know." He wondered if this would somehow change the future. Cloud looked about, but nothing seemed to change.

"Corent, are all of them staying with us?" the girl asked as she straightened out her little white apron.

"Y-yeah. Y'better prepare dinner, Vesta. Dilys is gonna have a stroke," Corent commented as he scratched the side of his head. "I'll go get some firewood and some supplies before the market closes." He left without saying another word; the young man was still in a slight state of shock.

Not that Cloud and Yuffie weren't, either. They supposed they had more practice at working through a moment of shock than Corent would. Cloud figured it would hit hard when he finally tried to rest, that's when it always did for him. Yuffie, he thought, would act out in her sleep as always.

Yuffie huffed and plopped down next to Vincent, wrapping her shoulders in his cape. "Nobody seems to care who I am! I'm the White Rose of Wutai, I should be sung as a folk hero or something," she groused.

"In Wutai you are," Vincent replied, and she looked his way. "I make sure your descendants know who you are. It was one of the things you requested I do."

"Oh." She situated herself under his cloak. "Are they as impressed with me as Cloud's kids are?"

Vincent smiled warmly at her, and she couldn't help but feel happy knowing that the centuries had let him show more emotion. "If anything they would jump at the chance to outdo your escapades."

"Hm. So who did I shack up with?"

He turned away and looked at Cloud, who was sitting facing the fireplace with his knees tucked in and Vesta eyeing him as she prepared the cooking pot. The Combination Sword laid on the ground next to him. "Just some fellow you fell in love with, for one reason or another."

"Oh, come on. Cloud found out who he was havin' kids with!" she protested.

Vincent looked back and shook his head. "As if that would come as a surprise to anyone."

Yuffie shrugged. "He was ready to propose to her, y'know."

"Oh. That was about the time Tifa announced the pregnancy, if I remember right," Nanaki said offhandedly.

Cloud turned his head to them. "She's pregnant already?"

"Er, maybe. Sorta. You're kinda oblivious and I may have put two and two together with her crabbiness and puking and the bloating thing where she complains about her shorts feeling tight..."

He sighed heavily, then looked at Nanaki. "So, I have kids with Tifa and die of old age. Now my descendants are living in a small house by the sea. What happened? Why is Edge abandoned, and how come there's no high technology?"

Nanaki tightened his jaw and looked at his cubs before looking at Cloud again. He supposed he couldn't wait until dinner to tell him what happened. "You didn't die of old age," he began. "You and Tifa died fighting a Weapon that destroyed most of Edge. You were almost sixty."

"What?" Cloud stared at the red beast in disbelief and scooted closer to him, making the cubs cower behind him. "A Weapon? We defeated them all! Why did the Planet attack us?"

"Now, some of this was gifted knowledge from Aerith before she became closer to a background voice within the Lifestream, just so you know. She always had a way with dreams..." Nanaki took in a deep breath. "Because after Deepground...the Planet thought that it was not man that was the threat to it, but technology. A man named Genesis took the body of Weiss the Immaculate to the Northern Crater, and it was divided for use between Weiss and Nero. The souls were spliced apart with the body, and they were used as a germ to create new Weapons: Pearl and Onyx. Genesis himself became Garnet Weapon.

"This took decades to achieve. Technology was flourishing and Reeve was on the verge of creating an abundant energy source that didn't need mako or oil and coal." Nanaki sighed. "Humans had a hopeful future. Cid in his old age would have had his space program and the Planet would never have to worry about humans sucking its blood for a comfortable life ever again."

"You were having dreams, Cloud. Aerith was trying to warn you to evacuate the city, that's what you told us. You just couldn't make out why." Nanaki paused as he collected his thoughts. "Pearl Weapon attacked Edge a year later. You and Tifa both perished during the fight, but Denzel and your children finished the monster off."

Cloud nodded quietly. Denzel, his Denzel, helped defeat a giant rampaging monster. He felt sad about the circumstances of this world but proud of his boy, even if it hadn't come to pass for him yet. Their children fought, too. They raised warriors.

"What about the other two Weapons?" Yuffie asked.

"Onyx Weapon attacked Rocket Town and Corel, or more specifically their oil and coal stores. Corel is uninhabitable now, the mountains choked with black smoke from the continual burning of coal seams. The oil of Rocket Town met a similar fate, and since there was no more readily available energy stores, the world was thrown back into steam power.

"Garnet Weapon attacked Junon. Shelke, Reeve's robotic creations, Vincent..." Nanaki sighed. "Well, Vincent survived. Tseng found him near death on the beach and decided to return an old favor."

Cloud bit his lip. The planet they worked so hard to save ended up killing its saviors like an overreacting brat. "What about Barret, Cid...Marlene?"

"Barret perished in Corel, but his bullets knocked a piece of Onyx Weapon's armor off. Yuffie rode on me and stabbed it with her shuriken after she put in some poison materia so it would slowly weaken. Cid's son helped take it down, along with Yuffie's daughter and son."

"Cid had evacuated Rocket Town with Shera's help, and had been able to set off some explosive charges that slowed down the monster's trek towards Corel. Marlene healed the survivors of Corel after they escaped the mountains," Vincent said.

Nanaki nodded. "Eventually we found everyone's remains and gave a proper burial. Barret is buried at the base of Mount Corel, Shelke and Reeve are buried in Junon, and you and Tifa were buried behind the remains of the church."

"That mound?" Cloud asked, his voice barely hiding his surprise.

"Yes. I try to visit everyone's grave at once a year, and so does Vincent. I'm getting a bit up there in years, however." He chuckled a little bit, then reclined on the floor. "This is the future you fought for."

Vincent nodded. "Now the question that remains...Why are you two here?"

"And can we get back..." Cloud mumbled. It was a lot to take in. He wondered if Aerith tried to stop it at all, and he figured she had. The warnings were all she could do at that point, probably.

Now he found himself in a world that was little better off than an Iron Age culture. Cloud promised himself that if he could find a way home, he would put a stop to those Weapons somehow. He looked to his side and noticed Vesta studying him with her blue-green eyes. "Um..."

She looked away. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine...Your name is Vesta, right?"

"Mhm."

He gave her a smile that he hoped didn't look too strained. "I hope I'm not too much trouble, staying with your family. Will your parents be home soon?"

Vesta shifted uncomfortably and looked down as she scrubbed something in an earthenware pot. "Um..."

"Cloud." He turned to Vincent's voice and leaned towards him. "Their parents died during a bandit attack six months ago," he said quietly. "It may be five hundred years in the future, but your family kept your stubborn fighting spirit."

"O-oh."

Yuffie fidgeted under Vincent's cloak. "I need somethin' to do. I can't think like this," she stood up and walked towards Vesta, who took a step back as she looked up at the ninja. "Ya mind if I help with dinner?"

"Yuffie's not a great cook but please just keep her busy, when she gets bored she tends to steal shiny things," Nanaki said with a tired smirk. Oh, he missed this banter so much!

Yuffie looked back and scoffed. "I got all the shiny things I need, Red!" She turned back to Vesta. "C'mon, let's make'em dinner, Da Chao knows none of them can cook."

"O-okay." The blonde haired girl tentatively took Yuffie's hand and brought her towards the hearth, quietly talking about her food preparation.

Cloud rubbed his face, then stood up and picked up the Fusion Sword. He took it to a corner of the house and leaned it on the wall, then took off his back sheath and placed it on the ground beside it.

He and Yuffie were stuck in a post-apocalyptic world, his family consisted of three siblings that lived together in a small house, and he had no idea why they were here or how to get back. He would find a way, he thought as Corent came through the door holding a course looking sack with a young woman following him in.

He would fix this. He had to.


	5. Tifa's Lament

**A/N: Curious about Tifa? Here ya go, everyone. Thank you for the reviews!**

* * *

Tifa scrubbed at a stubborn bit of dirt on the counter as dinner cooked in the oven. Cloud was a few hours late. She knew he wasn't going to leave them again. He wasn't sick with Geostigma, he was getting better each day. He was letting himself be happy. They had been so much closer, until very recently.

For one reason or another, Cloud decided to take more jobs; he said it was for a trip to Costa del Sol as the kids visited Corel, but she just didn't know. He used to be home every night, except for the rare overnight delivery needed during an emergency in some far off village. Lately he might not come home until the night was almost done, or even a few deliveries that took several days to complete would keep him from her.

He would still snuggle up to her in bed like he didn't want to let go of her ever, but when he was awake he seemed so distant. He barely had any time for the children anymore, outside of conversation during family meals. The thought of Marlene and Denzel made Tifa rub her belly for the umpteenth time today. She was pregnant, two months pregnant.

She had discovered that she was expecting one night after throwing up her dinner. Cloud was late again, and she had been feeling strange lately. Tired, sick, and her time of the month was late. She used the pregnancy test just to eliminate that particular possibility; neither she nor Cloud thought him capable of reproducing. Tifa had thought perhaps an injury during their adventure could have also kept her from carrying a baby.

Then again, she had thought, these were pregnancy symptoms.

Tifa had waited on the toilet seat for the test to read back a negative like it always did when she was suspicious, and then she would go to the doctor and get checked out for a bug or perhaps something to do with stress. Still, something had nagged at her heart. When she had glanced at the test it was positive, two pink stripes stared back at her from the white plastic stick.

She had broken down in the bathroom, curled up by the bathtub as she continued to stare at the test. Happiness, weariness, anxiety, worry and hope...Tifa had wondered if she was supposed to feel this way. A baby. Their baby was growing inside her right now. Right as things seemed worrisome in their relationship again, she became pregnant.

How would Cloud react? Denzel and Marlene could mostly take care of themselves and he could handle them. They were older children. A baby though? That would be a lot of hard work for the both of them. Cloud would have a lot less freedom. It would chain him down to the bar unless he kept to local deliveries. Even then, the first year or two would be difficult. Would he run away from this?

"Tifa, is Cloud coming home?"

She turned around and looked down at Denzel. "Maybe he got sidetracked while driving home, Denzel."

He cocked his head. "Have you tried calling him?"

Call Cloud? He was always bad with the phone. These days it was just because he was on the road, and he would pick up after she called a few times. But she should have done it earlier, she thought. Tifa had thought about it but she felt sheepish after Yuffie left to take a stroll. She hadn't meant to push her away, but she was getting a little personal, and Tifa had been feeling emotional lately.

Yuffie had been hanging around the bar more and more, always giving piercing looks and a few annoying questions here and there. She helped around the bar at least. Mostly. She would occasionally stay for dinner before leaving for her apartment or she would stay the night if Cloud wasn't home by a certain time. Tifa appreciated the gesture, she really did.

But this afternoon Tifa had been in a bad mood. She had broken a glass, and she was stewing over Cloud and his distant demeanor, and Yuffie was chattering away. Yuffie would ask about their relationship or the kids while the ninja was trying to mix drinks for a few lunch time patrons. Eventually Tifa snapped after the glass broke, and Yuffie shifted on her heels before squeaking out that she needed to take a walk.

She missed Yuffie's company after that. She felt like she was pushing her friends and family away.

Tifa took her phone out and auto-dialed Cloud's number. To her surprise, it went directly to voicemail. Did he turn off his phone? Maybe he broke it. She pursed her lips as worry grew in her heart. Tifa took in a sharp inhale. "I think his phone is off, sweetie."

"Oh." Denzel shifted on his feet. "...Maybe he had to help someone, and he lost his phone again."

She nodded. "Maybe." Her fingers tapped on the underside of the counter as she leaned on it. Cloud was strong, he could keep care of himself. Maybe he was just exhausted after a long day and he was sleeping right now. "He might have had a really hard day, and he'll be home tomorrow."

The boy had a thoughtful look on his face. "Yeah. I hope he's alright."

"Me too."

Eventually she served the children dinner, and she picked at her food as the two children talked to each other here and there. She wasn't that hungry, she never was when she worried about Cloud.

"Tifa, when are we visiting Papa and Corel?" Marlene asked.

Tifa jumped a little bit at the question. She had been deep in thought. "In a couple of weeks, sweetie."

Marlene nodded, then smiled a little. "I heard Cloud was gonna take you on a vacation."

"Yeah. Where is he taking you?" Denzel asked.

Tifa swirled her food around a little. "Costa del Sol."

"Oh. Barret takes us there for a day or two before we head to Corel," he said before taking a bite of his food.

"That's nice to hear. We've been meaning to visit again as a family...Maybe next year." She put a spoonful of the casserole in her mouth so she wouldn't make a face. With a baby on the way there was no way they were doing that.

"Yeah. It was fun playing on the beach by Junon this year, though. I never knew dolphins liked Cloud so much!" Marlene chimed.

A wistful smile grew on her face. Mr. Dolphin had come up to say hello to Cloud, Priscilla on his rubbery grey back. Denzel and Marlene both got a chance to ride him with the young teen's help. "Cloud is full of surprises." She felt a little better, and after their little conversation she was able to finish her dinner.

After dinner was finished Tifa cleaned up the table and washed the dishes before going upstairs for a shower. She cleaned herself up and dressed in her night clothing, noting irritably that her pajama shorts felt a little tight.

With a huff she left her room to go into the children's rooms. Tifa tucked the children in and said goodnight before going back into her bedroom. The bed felt so empty with Cloud missing. His scent teased her nose, and she ended up scooting onto his side of the bed.

She felt lonely, even though she had seen Cloud that morning. His hug and kiss was genuine, even if he looked a little worn down and distant in the eye. She had dealt with his absence before, but now that she had a baby growing in her she felt needy.

Tifa took her phone from her nightstand and left a text for Cloud. She frowned when it failed to send. She tried again and again, but it kept failing. She tsked, then wondered if it was possibly her phone causing the issue. Tifa sent a text to Yuffie, and the same failure to send message popped up.

"Come on..." She texted the next person on her list, Nanaki. He would be awake in Cosmo Canyon. It finally went through, and she let out an agitated sigh. A few minutes later and he responded back.

 **I got your message, Tifa.**

 **Oh. Cloud and Yuffie's phone's won't receive my messages.**

It was a good ten minutes before he responded again. He was getting better at using the phone, Tifa had to admit. **Same.**

 **I'm worried.**

 **I will visit.**

Tifa let out a little sigh of relief. Nanaki could sniff out their trails and see where they could have gone. It was probably nothing, it was probably just an issue with the phone service. That still happened these days, after all. Nanaki might not even be needed, but she would be happy to see him all the same. **Thank you, Nanaki. I'll see you soon.**

She settled onto the bed again, a little more at ease now that Nanaki would be on the way. Tifa rubbed her belly and stared at the ceiling fan. He would find out before Cloud did, Nanaki's nose was sensitive. _'Why didn't I just tell him last month...I don't care about the vacation. How much money could he possibly be saving up for a vacation?'_ How long would he continue this?

 _'The next time we talk I'm just going to tell him it's alright, I'm sure there's enough gil for a vacation. No, we'll need that money for the baby!'_ Tifa sighed into Cloud's pillow. A vacation would be nice, but a few days with just the both of them would be nice enough.

That was, if he was amicable to being a father to a baby.

No, he wouldn't leave over that. He wouldn't. But how would he take it? Her mind continually asked that question. Certainly she had wondered if the baby would be healthy and normal considering the experiments done to Cloud over a period of nearly four years. She had been surprised they could even have children, pleasantly surprised after her initial shock.

Until she began to worry, and it chipped away at her optimism.

Tifa curled up in bed. She was worried about Cloud and now Yuffie. Their phones weren't working and they could possibly be hurt. But here she was, trying to sleep in a comfortable bed. She pressed her face into Cloud's pillow, savoring his strange, unique scent of musk and mako that she would recognize anywhere.

Despite her anxiety as she thought about the future and if Cloud and Yuffie were alright, she began to drift asleep as his comforting scent calmed her nerves. Nanaki was on his way, she thought as she closed her eyes. They would be found safe and sound.


	6. The Bonds Through Time

Dilys stared at the blond haired man that leaned on the wall with his arms crossed. She really couldn't see the resemblance, but five hundred years was a long time to dilute traits with other people. She glanced at Corent's hair; maybe that was a physical trait that wouldn't go away. Their father had had a shock of hair just like that. Her bangs and the ends of her shoulder length, dirty blonde hair would end in points just the same. Well, maybe the hair color, too.

Corent seemed to be in a state of disbelief just like herself, but Vincent and Nanaki were extremely old friends of the family, ones who knew their ancestors personally. They never were the kind to joke about such things as it was. So, this fellow was one of her most esteemed ancestors. They were obligated to care for him.

She brought in her catch for the day, one she had hoped they could have dried for later. Dilys had gutted them at the shore; none of them particularly cared for the bitter guts when they had no condiments to balance them out with. Her amber eyes watched Cloud as he glanced down at her while she sat by the hearth, his blue eyes beginning to shine in the dark.

They were hauntingly beautiful, she thought.

Dilys collected the skewers and began fixing the saury to them after Vesta salted them, one by one. The young woman Vesta had put to work was watching them. "You're making sanma?"

Dilys looked over at her. Her brother said her name was Yuffie, one of the people Vincent and Nanaki had told stories about. "Is that what you call it?"

"Yeah."

"I taught them the recipe," Vincent quietly said. "It's quite popular here since it doesn't require much preparation."

"Huh. Never took you for a cook."

"You might later..."

It became quiet except for a few murmurings from Cloud, Nanaki and Vincent. She picked up a little here and there as she watched the roasting fish. Cloud told them they were in a church when an invisible force blew them into a pool, and they opened their eyes to the ruins of Midgar. He had such a peculiar accent, more pronounced than Vincent's or Nanaki's.

Dilys glanced their way and saw her ancestor try to coax one of Nanaki's cubs to come out from behind the large red beast. Eventually one of them did, and Cloud pulled something out of his back pocket. He opened the black thing up and pulled a flat thing out of it to show the cub, and said it was a picture of his grandfather when he was a lot younger. The other cub came out to examine it, and Nanaki stared at it with longing.

"Dilys, you're gonna burn the fish," Vesta warned.

The young woman looked back at the fish and began turning them. "Sorry."

Eventually the three finished making dinner and began to serve everyone. It was a simple meal of rice and roasted fish, and a few vegetables Corent had gathered from the garden out back. They would have to work extra hard to collect food after their visitors left, she thought.

Their meal time was quiet, with contemplative stares on everyone's faces. The cubs were content to play tug of war with their fish only for it to quickly pull apart; Nanaki sternly told them to eat the meal prepared for them. Corent looked at Cloud, still shocked but growing more curious by the minute. "What was it y'were showin' the cubs?"

Cloud looked up from his half-eaten fish. "Pictures." He took his wallet out of his pocket again, took out the plastic fold that held a dozen or so pictures, and stretched his hand out to let his descendants look at them.

Corent took the pictures in an almost reverent fashion after putting down the skewer that had held his sanma. Carefully he flipped through them, looking at pictures featuring a much younger Nanaki holding a cat creature on his head with Yuffie's face smooshed against his, Cloud with a warm looking woman and two children, Vincent with three other smiling men he didn't know. There was a group picture in a dilapidated building, all looking at the camera with smiles.

He gave it to Dilys, and she and Vesta looked them over. Corent looked at Cloud. "How d'you make pictures?"

Cloud rubbed the back of his head as he finished chewing the crunchy tail of the fish. "My phone can take pictures. I mean I don't understand the technology behind it, I just use it."

The young man nodded. "I've heard they can do that in Junon, but y'have to stay still f'a long time. Expensive, too."

"I see." He put his pictures back into his wallet after it was handed back to him and put it away before working on the rest of his meal.

A knock on the door startled everyone a few minutes later, and Corent stood up to see who it was. He opened his door to a middle aged man that stood about as tall as himself, who glanced at the visitors with a disapproving frown. "Who are those two strangers you brought to the village?"

"Uh...Friends of the elders, Araden."

Araden gave a piercing gaze to the two, who seemed nonplussed by his judgemental stare. His eyes went to the shadow of the Combination Sword, then back at Corent. "They best not be trouble. We're still recovering from the bandit attack earlier in the year."

A bitter expression crossed Corent's face. "We're well aware, mayor. N'let us finish our meal in peace." He closed the door before Araden could say more, then sat down to finish his rice. He noticed Cloud had kept himself leaned against the wall, looking away from the door. Those eyes of his would cause trouble, and it seemed he knew it.

"Tomorrow it would be wise to find a way to send you home," Vincent remarked to Yuffie and Cloud. "Before anything bad comes to pass here."

Yuffie huffed at his suggestion. "Gettin' tired of us already?"

Vincent let out a dry chuckle. "If I was selfish I'd have you stay until you finally died of old age...Again."

Cloud took off his shoulder pauldron and sleeve, then his dust apron. He rubbed the fabric of his shirt after peeling off his gloves; it was looking a little dirty after his monster slaying session and trek through the woods. "Is there anyway to clean our clothes?"

"Ah, I use the wash bucket out back to clean our clothes," Vesta said as she collected the bowls and skewers with Dilys. "I can clean yours if you want."

He stood up and motioned towards the door he assumed led to the backyard. "I think you've done enough. May I see it?"

Dilys stood up and between the too. "No, it's alright, you're our guest!"

"...I know, but you've done enough for us already. Besides, family helps each other, right?" Cloud looked down at Vesta. "How about I help you wash clothing?"

She shifted the weight on her feet as she looked at Dilys and then Cloud. "Um...okay."

He gave her his hand and let her lead him into their backyard. It seemed a larger space than the house, with a chicken coop in the far corner and a small garden plot by the back of the house. A large basin sat by the other corner and on the other side of the house was a bucket with a washboard. A rope with clothing swaying in the breeze was above the short stone wall, connected to the top of the chicken coop.

"I-I don't know how you clean clothes in the past, but we gotta scrub it and let it dry out here..." Vesta lit a candle before picking up a soap bar that was on a rectangular grey stone and motioned him to come closer. "I can show you with your shirt..."

He walked up to her and unzipped his shirt. "I used this when I was your age." Cloud pulled off his shirt and took the soap from Vesta, then dunked his shirt into the bucket and rubbed the soap on it. Then, he used the washboard. "My mom taught me how to use it."

"What was your mom like?"

Cloud looked at her, then looked down at the shirt as he worked it. "Vibrant. Kind. She always made sure I had enough to eat."

Vesta studied her ancestor in the dim light of twilight and the candle's flame. Her gaze went down to a scar right below his heart. "What's that?"

He rubbed the scar with his wet hand, then wrung out his shirt. "...Something I'd rather not talk about."

"Sorry, Elder Cloud."

He glanced at her and blushed. "Elder...? Just Cloud, please. I'm no elder." He stood up and hung the shirt up. Cloud looked at his pants and made a face; he didn't want to strip naked. He turned his head as Dilys came through the door with two batches of clothing, one looking like Yuffie's.

"We thought you could use some clothing, Elder Cloud," she said quietly.

He groaned and rubbed his forehead. Dilys bit her lip; she hoped she hadn't offended her ancestor. Vesta took Yuffie's clothing. "Elder Cloud said he just wants to be known as Cloud."

"Oh. Is that really alright?"

Cloud nodded as he took the clothing from her. "Yeah, it's fine. Thank you for the clothing." He looked it over; the shirt was a bit long and a sage green color with no sleeves. He put it on and it seemed to fit alright in his opinion. The pants were of a coarse material and there was a long brown fabric vest that reminded him of what Corent wore; a brown belt laid on top of the pants. He looked at Vesta and Dilys. "Could you two turn around, please?"

They nodded and turned before focusing on Yuffie's clothing. He quickly slipped off his pants and boxers, then put the pants on. They weren't nearly as long as he feared they would be, and after putting on the belt he rolled up the bottoms of the pant-legs.

He put on the vest last, then rummaged around the pockets of his black pants for anything he didn't want dunked. Keys, phone, wallet, the ring box and his small collection of materia and potions. They went into the pockets of the new pair of pants he wore. "I guess I look more like a local now...Except for the boots." He took them off and peeled off his socks. They needed to stay clean, too.

They turned and nodded at him. "It looks good on you, Eld- I mean, Cloud."

He smiled. "Thanks, Dilys."

Cloud helped them with the laundry, answering a few hesitant questions here and there. They kept away from personal questions, but he noticed they were warming to him, and he felt them growing on him too. When the clothing was all hanging up to dry they came back inside.

Corent already had thin bedrolls and pillows out near the fireplace, there were five of them. He was fiddling with something up on a rafter. It seemed the small family kept their blankets rolled up there. "I hope it's comfortable enough."

"It's fine, thanks." Cloud walked towards one. Nanaki was laying near it with his cubs. "Hey, kiddos. Ready to sleep in a house full of humans?" he asked as he sat on one of the bedrolls.

Reki batted the pillow. "Grandfather said you put your head on these things. Do you?"

"Yeah. See?" He laid down and put his head on the pillow. "It's soft."

Reki smooshed his head into it, and Khlali giggled before doing the same on the other side of Cloud's head. "Grandfather is softer."

Cloud chuckled and moved his head to look at Nanaki upside down. "He is."

"Hey Vinny, I'm takin' this bedroll," Yuffie said. She moved it over next to where he sat before lying down. "If ya need the pillow I can use your cape."

He snorted and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be fine, Yuffie."

They eventually settled down, the crackling sound of the fireplace relaxing especially to the four friends who had not slept by a fire together in years.

Yuffie began quietly muttering to herself in her sleep, and Vincent's hand went from her shoulder to her head, his thumb rubbing her ear. Cloud kept his eyes closed but couldn't quite sleep just yet as everything began to process in his head.

He was far in the future with his descendants and his still living friends. He died because of the Planet's shortsighted attitude towards humans, and now they would never advance beyond this. Or whatever Junon had, it seemed to be the technological jewel of this era.

His descendants seemed to treat him with reverence, but it felt weird. He worried about Tifa. Would she even notice he was gone? Would he reappear in the church soon, and no time had passed? What if he never made it back? No, he had to or this future wouldn't exist.

His mind slowly drifted to a light sleep, disturbed by an unknown female voice.

 _Jenova...comes._

 _Mistakes were made._

 _I'm sorry._

 _I need your help. Please._

 _Save this future._


	7. Unanswered Questions

_...Who are you?_

 _I need your help._

 _Did you take us here?_

 _Yes. Please, Jenova is recovering._

 _Take us back._

 _I can't. Not until this is fixed. I'm sorry._

Cloud woke up in the small house, trying to remember that voice's message. Whoever she was, she took he and Yuffie to the future to fix a problem that could have been prevented by maybe telling the past instead of dragging them into a fight half a millennia from home. That was, if the voice wasn't just his brain trying to process what just happened.

He sat up on his bedroll and looked around as he scratched his cheek. Nanaki's deep, grumbling snores came from behind him, and the cubs were tucked close to his chest. Vincent was...maybe sleeping, his hand over Yuffie's ear. She was curled up under her blanket.

His descendants were still sleeping, but Vesta was stirring in the dimly lit home. Gray light from the dawn was seeping through the window. Cloud let out a sniffle and put his hands on his knees. What to do now? The voice said Jenova is recovering...

Didn't most of it die off, and what little was left was too little to cause much trouble after the infected were doused in holy water? It cut off any influence Jenova or Sephiroth would have had on them.

He glanced over to his left as he heard the patter of little feet. Vesta was working by the hearth again. He decided to help her as he thought over what scant information he was given, and stood from his bedroll to join her.

She looked up at him shyly as she fiddled with the bowls that had been cleaned last night. "Eld-I mean, Cloud, good morning," she whispered to him.

He flashed a half-smile and crouched down next to her. "Mornin'. Do you need any help?"

Vesta shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm just making rice porridge."

"I guess it would be for the best. I don't know how to make that."

"It's just water, rice and salt..." She looked at the back door. "We have a pickle presser. I could use two of the yellow squash in there to make the meal tastier."

Cloud nodded and stood up. He had seen those in Wutai. "I'll get them for you."

He went outside and looked back and forth, then noticed the container next the the basin on the ground. Cloud took in a deep breath of the fresh, morning sea breeze, then lifted the stones from the top of the presser. He took out two long yellow things, then put the lid back on with the stones to press down on the vegetables left.

He took the wet pickles inside and handed them to Vesta. "Hey...Is there a place I could freshen up at?"

She cocked her head. "Huh?"

Cloud scratched the back of his head. "I have to use the bathroom."

"Bathroom?"

"They have public outhouses in the villages," Vincent whispered from his spot next to Yuffie. "I'll show you."

Cloud made a face. "Please tell me they have something like toilet paper."

Vincent chuckled as he stood up and beckoned his friend towards the front door. "Something like that."

* * *

After breakfast Cloud took his friends into the backyard to discuss what had happened as he slept. His arms were crossed and he would periodically tap his fingers on his biceps. His family and the cubs were either in the house or out fishing for the next meal, respecting their elders' request to have a meeting together.

"Okay. So like, you had some voice tellin' you Jenova was comin' back?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. It said it can't take us back until everything is fixed."

Yuffie's face darkened. "You mean we're stuck here? They don't have showers!"

Nanaki hummed. "But where could Jenova be, if this isn't just some random dream?"

"It would have been nice if the voice could have told you that," Vincent dryly remarked.

Yuffie clapped her hands together and hopped in place. "I know! Let's sleep him, maybe whoever it is'll start talking to him again!"

Cloud made a face. "No, I don't think so. I'd rather go home and try and warn everyone." He looked at Nanaki and Vincent. "Maybe the pool could take us back? I'm pretty sure that's what we came through."

Vincent tilted his head ever so slightly. "It might be your best chance."

"It's strange, isn't it? Wouldn't you have said something about this centuries ago?" Nanaki inquired. "What's more, it would make far more sense to warn the past..."

Cloud shrugged and looked down at the sandy dirt. Everything seemed so strange. He glanced at his clothing, hanging in the breeze. "Let's check it out. If it can take us back home we can go tomorrow."

Yuffie nodded. "Yeah, we can stay just another day, right?" She smirked. "If we show up at almost the same time we left, Tifa might believe us if we show up wearin' this stuff. Two days worth of scruff on your face might convince her, too."

He rubbed one of his cheeks with a frown. His facial hair grew slowly but thickly, much like the hair on his head. Cloud wasn't a fan of it. "Well, let's mosey."

Nanaki left Reki and Khlali with Vesta. They had protested and he had said that they were only to be gone a short while. Cubs were fast, but they were curious. While the party only wanted to check one thing the cubs would be exploring and asking questions.

They began to walk towards the village entrance when Araden walked by them. "Leaving?" he asked hopefully. He was giving the four a piercing stare.

"We are seeing if the path to our friend's village has cleared of monsters," Vincent coolly explained. "If so, they will be leaving tomorrow after they are done preparing."

Araden squeezed his fists, but nodded. "Of course."

"What's up your ass, buddy?" Yuffie asked. Nanaki hissed at her to shut up.

He narrowed his eyes as he tried to stare her down. "We don't need outsiders here. You bring troubles with you."

Cloud let out a sigh. "And we'll be out of your hair soon enough. Let's go, everyone."

They left the village and walked the road towards the forest's edge. The farmers were wary but curious this time around, probably because the village hadn't been raided by the two. Or so they assumed. Their dress was more normal for the area, too.

Yuffie wearing something similar to Cloud, but the pants were shorts and her vest was laced up the front. Her shirt was a pasty light blue and sported wide sleeves that covered her hands half the time. Cloud was just a little jealous of the protection her arms would have against the biting bugs they would face as they entered the forest.

"Hey, Nanaki? When did you find others of your species?" Cloud asked as they went through a forest path.

"I always knew Dineh. She came back to Cosmo Canyon ten years after Deepground. But she didn't come back alone...She had found isolated groups of our species througout the continent.

"They hid deep in forests and craggy mountains where only they and goats survived. Somehow she convinced some to come follow her, and slowly amassed a pride that settled there." He trotted deeper into the forest with a smile on his face. "We still keep in contact and court with the other prides that stayed put."

"Awww, so I got to be your kids' auntie?"

"Yes, and you just would not stop teaching them how to sneak or play pranks." Nanaki sighed. "Ghelki is still the stealthiest creature to reside in Cosmo Canyon because of you."

Yuffie squealed. "Awesome! I wish I had time to visit and freak'em out," she gushed.

"If only Vincent kept a tighter leash on you sometimes," Nanaki replied wistfully.

She raised a brow. "How so?"

Vincent shook his head. "It doesn't matter..."

"I think it does!"

He sighed. "I've always been your handler."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, when you're around. Did ya start hanging around more with us, and less with your old flame?"

"...Eventually."

They grew quiet as the path twisted about. The mid-morning sun peeked through the trees here and there, and small monsters scooted away from the deadly looking party. Cloud was wearing his sheaths and sword over his borrowed clothing just in case they needed to fight. He had handed Yuffie a green Master Materia so she wasn't helpless.

Eventually they came to the lonesome, peaceful pool surrounded by yellow and white lilies. Cloud eyed the mound that held he and Tifa's bodies, and resisted the urge to shudder. It created uneasiness in his gut to see his resting spot, but he supposed at the very least it was a beautiful place to seep back into the Planet.

"So..." Yuffie walked up to the soggy edge of the bubbling pond. "How do we figure out how go back to the past?" She crouched down and rolled up one of her sleeves, then dunked her arm into the cool water. It tingled no differently than in the past, and she moved her hand through it.

"Nothin'."

Cloud stopped staring at his resting place an walked up to the pool. He crouched next to Yuffie and looked at their reflections as she pulled her arm out of the water. It rippled from the droplets that fell off of her arm, and he swore their reflections changed for just a few moments that felt like forever.

A young woman was staring back, her green eyes anxious and sorrowful. She shook her head before the next droplet returned the waters back to normal.

 _Not yet..._

"Did ya hear that?" Yuffie asked as she looked around.

"I didn't hear anything," Nanaki replied. Vincent shook his head.

"I heard her," Cloud said. "It was the same voice from my dream."

Yuffie stood up and Cloud joined her. "'Not yet'. Not yet what?"

"She won't let us go back."

Vincent raised a brow. "She?"

Cloud pointed at the pool. "I saw a woman's face in the water before the voice spoke."

The ninja stomped her foot in the muddy ground, lilies swaying from the disturbance. "We wanna go home, damn it! Let us fix things when and where it freakin' matters!"

Cloud crossed his arms. He felt the exact same way, but felt whoever it was wouldn't be moved by Yuffie's show. "Y'know, it'd be nice if whoever this was gave us a little more to go on."

"Seriously. This sucks, and that bimbo voice sucks, too! What's so hard about givin' a clear objective and tellin' us where to go?!" A breeze went by, but no voice. The clearing stilled again. "Ooooh!"

Vincent put his hands on her arms. "This isn't getting us anywhere."

Nanaki nodded. "Perhaps we should go back to Aruni for now. There's no point staying here if we can't send you back yet..."

Cloud nodded. "...Maybe I can help my family out while we come up with a plan." He looked at the burial mound again, then forced himself to look at his friends. "They look like they need it."

Yuffie groaned as she moved away from the pool. "Stuck here like this. Fine! I'll catch a bunch of crabs so we have some real food tonight!"

They began walking the way they came. "It'll be afternoon when we get back. You might have a better chance at catching fish," Vincent reminded her.

"Whatever! I'll catch something, and a lot of it!"

Cloud and Nanaki shared a quiet chuckle together as they took the front of the group. The red beast looked up at his old friend. "I understand this must be difficult for you," he began in a low voice as Yuffie continued her rant and Vincent grunted whenever it involved him, "but after so long..."

Cloud nodded. "I understand, Nanaki. I'm glad to see you made yourself a family, and that I did too. It's...reassuring, even if this future isn't what I had in mind." He looked about at the forest that took over Edge.

"If you can make it back, perhaps this will change to something more positive," Nanaki replied with a note of hope in his voice.

The blond warrior smiled. "Yeah." He still felt that the whole time traveling business was way over his head. What was the science behind it, and how had the future not been changed? Did he keep quiet about what happened? How could he?

Eventually Yuffie stopped ranting and the sound of cicadas took over their ears again. The path began to open up to the road that would take them into Aruni. Cloud frowned as the scent of smoke hit his nose, and then he jogged to the entrance.

The village was billowing smoke, and there were bodies on the dirt road that led down to Aruni. His jog became a run, and the others quickly followed in a quiet panic.


	8. The Past Saves the Future

**A/N: Hope I did this justice. I was having a spot of trouble thinking this through, so comment if you find issue, please.**

* * *

The four charged towards Aruni, ignoring the bodies that lay by and on the road. Those people were either dead or soon to be dead, the injuries too greivous for their materia to fix. Nanaki came to the front of the group, his gallop still strong after all these years. The smoke was starting to hit their noses, and it didn't smell just of burning wood.

"Reki, Khlali!"

As they reached the gates they made out Corent's crouched form in front of the open and burning gate; there was a dead man in dark clothing laying haphazardly next to him. He held his spear as he nursed one of the gashes on his chest. He flinched and looked up with a defiant glower that melted into surprise and relief as he recognized the four.

He looked at Cloud, his blue-green eyes full of shame. "I tried m'best to save the town, but there were too many of 'em." He lowered his head.

Cloud kneeled next to him, then motioned for Yuffie to come closer. "Who did this?"

"Bandits. We thought they left the area, but..." Corent grunted as Yuffie used the materia to heal his wounds. He gazed up as he took several deep breaths of air, his eyes looking between Yuffie and Cloud. "Materia?"

Yuffie patted his shoulder. "Yep, good as new, big guy."

Cloud helped him up and slapped him on the back softly. "You did your best, Corent."

He shook his head, disappointed with his performance. "Only killed a few."

"Where are the young ones?" Nanaki demanded.

"They should still be in the house, elder. Dilys woulda been at the shore when they attacked, and Vesta woulda stayed quiet...Just like last time."

"We should go," Vincent said as he quickly passed the ruined gate. The four others quickly joined and observed the chaos sewn by the bandits; villagers worked tirelessly to put out the house fires or help the injured. Cloud put a hand on Yuffie's shoulder, and she looked up at him with an inquisitive, dread-filled stare.

"Try and heal who you can, Yuffie. I have a few potions and another Restore materia in my pockets."

She nodded. "Yeah, good plan. I'll fix'em up!" Yuffie peeled away from the group and sought out the center of the village, where it seemed the injured had been taken to.

The others quickly made their way to the small house, its thatch roof partially on fire and the door torn open. Dilys was trying to put out the fire, but it was too far up for her to throw the bucket of water she held. Cloud took it from behind her and effortlessly tossed the water onto the flames, dousing them. She turned around and held the most despairing look in her watery eyes.

"They took them, I'm so sorry elders..."

Nanaki pulled his ears back. "They what?!"

"I tried chasing after them, but they escaped on a chocobo. I stopped one before you returned, but...but they took the cubs and Vesta!"

Cloud squeeze his fists. He had been confused and agitated over the mystery woman who just would not let them return to their time, and now on top of that bandits raided the village that held his descendants.

One of which they kidnapped, and another they had almost killed. If they were the same ones that killed their parents, that too was on the shit heap. "Dilys, which way did they go?" he asked in the calmest voice he could muster. It sounded downright dangerous to anyone in earshot.

"They came from the east," Corent said.

Cloud nodded. "Alright." He looked down at Nanaki. "Your nose still any good?"

The red beast snorted and gave his friend a withering look. "I found you two, did I not?"

The spiky haired warrior rummaged around one of his pockets. He had put his bracer on before they had left, and wanted to switch out his materia. "Okay, so you'll track them down and then...you remember our old ambush idea, right?"

"How could I ever forget?"

Vincent raised a brow as he looked through his materia. "Really now? It has been a long time."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll do alright," Cloud said as he gave Corent a few small purple materia. "I see you have materia slots on your spear. These are fresh materia, but they should keep you from almost getting killed again."

Corent looked like he had been given a priceless relic. He very reverently took the glowing purple orbs and placed them in his spear. "Thank you, Eld- Cloud."

Cloud nodded, then looked at Dilys. "Comin' with us?"

"Yes."

"Good to hear. What kinda weapon do you use?"

She raised her hands. "My fists," she replied firmly.

"Hm. Just like Tifa..." He studied her hands; there were no materia slots. Cloud handed her a yellow materia. "This is an Enemy Skill materia. Try and get a feel for some of the abilities in there."

"Thank you, Cloud."

"Right. Now let's get Yuffie-"

"You!" They all turned at the voice of Araden, the village mayor walking briskly towards them. "You fools let these scouts into the village!"

Corent frowned. "Scouts? What're you talkin' about?"

Araden jabbed a finger in Cloud's direction. "You leave and then your friends attacked our village!"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "We don't have time for this." He motioned towards his friends and family. "Let's go save the kids."

"No. I'm not having you crawl back to your masters-"

"D'y' ever shut up?" An old, wiry man with a stiff silver beard shuffled towards them. He held an unlit pipe in his hand, the long stem brushing his thin lower lip. "Y'talkin' badly of the Elders, fool!"

Vincent leaned towards Cloud. "One of Denzel's more direct descendants. His name is Kalev," he whispered.

Araden opened his mouth several times but stood dumbfounded as he looked between Nanaki and Vincent. Kalev groaned and glanced at Cloud. "With that legendary weapon, I'm sure y'can beat back those bandits, m'boy."

He nodded at the old man. Deep blue eyes looked back at him, and Cloud wondered how they survived half a millennia of family making. "Hold down the fort for us, old man."

Kalev nodded and grinned. "Save our youth, please. We'll take care of the village, right, Araden?" The village mayor gave the old man a look before nodding hesitatly nodding. Cloud looked at the two a moment longer before walking off towards the entrance again.

Yuffie came to Cloud's side as he looked her way and motioned towards the gate with his head. She wiped sweat from her brow as they exited Aruni. "It's a good thing you had materia on you, 'cause those bandits did a number on these people."

Cloud grunted. "They took the kids."

"What?!"

"We're going to ambush them after the sun sets." He looked at Nanaki as he followed the bandit's trail. "He'll lead the call."

Yuffie groaned. "We're doing that again?"

"What is it?" Dilys asked.

Cloud looked towards the blue skies in the east, deepening ever so as the sun continued westward. Wooded hills greeted them in the distance. "I'll tell you what we're gonna do."

* * *

Vesta and the cubs huddled together in the prisoner's tent. Just like the other dozen or so youths captured she had her hands bound together. The cubs had their tails tied together with a rope that held them together snugly. Vesta tried to comfort them, but it was difficult with her lack of mobility.

"Grandfather will save us," Reki stated with as much courage as he could.

Vesta nodded. "The elders will stop them."

"Just like last time, right?"

She turned to a young boy that sat five feet away. "They weren't here!"

"There's no way they can take on all of them," said a teen aged girl. "They have your parent's materia."

Vesta looked down. Her parents had fought off a large group of bandits, but when the leader killed them he had looted the bodies of their materia. That materia had been passed down to their family through the generations. "Cloud and Yuffie are with them," she said quietly. The elders trusted them, knew them.

"You mean that guy with the freaky eyes? How're you so sure he doesn't work for the bandits?" came an accusatory voice to her right.

"Yeah, they came after they all left!"

Khlali growled. "Grandfather knows and trusts them! We will be saved!"

The young boy scoffed. "What would you know? You're just a talking cat!"

"She knows more than you do, two-legs!" Reki retorted as he swished his tail.

"Reki..." Vesta pleaded.

He looked towards her and his expression softened. "Sorry."

A guard popped his head in and glared at the huddled masses. "Shut up in there before I give ya cause to scream!"

They quieted, and he left after a final glare at the prisoners. The children would be sold at market far to the south, and the talking cubs could be sold in Junon for a very good price. That was what their leader planned. With the food they had taken and the money they were about to come in to their band was well on the way to becoming wealthy enough to have a permanent base in Kalm.

As the guard sat outside the tent he heard the sound of a wolf howling in the distance. Most likely a Kalm Fang, he thought. A few moments later and another howl rang out in another direction, then another. It sounded like the Kalm Fangs were in a semi-circle around the camp.

He didn't think that was normal.

In fact, the din was off on most of them. They didn't quite sound like wolves at all when he listened hard enough. The guard noted the other bandits had begun to take notice, looking towards the woods that encompassed their camp.

"Awooooooo!" It sounded like a woman.

"This's pathetic," said a bandit. The group readied and aimed their weapons towards the sounds of the howls in the woods, attempting to pinpoint them in the dark. The tent guard scoffed; the villagers made a terrible gamble tonight.

He thought that until there was a horrible roar in the front of the camp.

The guard turned around to see a strange, dark furred beast in a long red kilt sprinting through the camp, attacking anyone foolish enough to come close. It had horns and long white hair, and yellow eyes that burned with unsated hunger. It roared again as it stood over a corpse, and the camp fell into chaos.

"What the hell is going on?!" It was Metis, the leader of their bandit band. He pointed at the monster as his dark, billowing clothing shifted from the breeze. "What are you waiting for? Kill it!" Archers began to knock back arrows as Metis focused on a materia in his bracer.

The monster stared down at Metis and roared in his direction. The bandit leader let out a fire spell, only for it to do nothing. It chuckled dryly at him, then released fireballs of its own. The tents that were in the way caught fire, and bandits who hadn't come out to defend the camp ran out.

The beast ran as arrows zoomed towards it, and a few caught his kilt. The archers knocked arrows in their bows again, ready to take down the monster. Before they could fire a stinking cloud of dark gas seeped onto them, and they screamed out in surprise as they shrunk down. A few just became smaller, but most turned into pudgy frogs. They were crawling on the earth in pain as a blonde haired woman appeared out of the woods, rubbing her head.

As the bipedal beast continued to ravage the large camp a red beast tore through a flank of opponents, then came a hail of ice from another side of the circle that sent the chocobos into a panicked frenzy. Metis growled to himself as he squeezed his gloved hands. "Men! Get that girl, now!"

"Y'think y'can win against us this time?!" Metis stared at the spear wielding bumpkin as he held his weapon out in front of him. The pearly blade held several purple materia underneath it. "My parents, my village..." Corent closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He slowly opened them again. "I want them back."

"Come and get them then!"

Corent charged the bandit leader and clashed his spear against Metis' sword. The bandit leader found the young man was stronger than he had been earlier in the afternoon. He would be no less unskilled, however.

Metis parried another attack and maneuvered to the side to slice into his young opponent's shoulder. The attack grazed him as he twisted his spear around and smacked the bandit in the face with the blunt end, it pushed Metis back but he quickly recovered. Corent swung his spear upward and blocked the slice downward towards his chest.

A huff of air went past Metis' back and neck and he twirled about to meet his next challenger. He was grabbed by the collar of his dark blue shirt and thrust to the ground; cold blue eyes met his as he looked up and positioned his sword to defend himself.

The eyes were glowing, and the pale skinned man who they belonged to was holding two swords in his hands. "You messed with the wrong village."

"Cloud, let me finish 'em, please!" Corent asked.

Cloud shook his head and came closer. Metis jumped up and tried to catch the strange man off guard but was caught by surprise when one of Cloud's swords sliced his clean in half, and then the shorter man shoved him to the ground with his foot.

Metis was in the process of lifting himself from the ground when a boot stomped onto his chest and a blade rested on his neck. "You get to live, unlike the rest of your men."

"Who the hell are you?!" Metis spat defiantly.

"A ghost," Cloud stated. "I came back for revenge. You killed my descendants and stole the materia that I had collected centuries ago." His blade split the skin just enough to make the bandit leader bleed. "But I'm gonna let you live, and you're gonna tell every bandit, raider and slaver on this continent to never attack Aruni again."

"I'm not your messenger."

Cloud chuckled darkly. "You are now." He waved his free sword about; the camp was in chaos as Vincent, Nanaki, Yuffie and Dilys decimated the camp. His glowing eyes returned to Metis. "If I ever catch sight of you in the area again I'll kill you. Tonight, you get off with a warning."

Corent frowned. "He killed my parents! Y'aren't gonna send'em to a deserved grave?!" he asked harshly.

"We need a shamed messenger," Cloud explained. His expression darkened as he stared at Metis. This bandit wasn't going to come out of tonight unscarred; Cloud put his sword to the other man's cheek. "What's your name?"

"Piss off."

"Interesting name," Cloud replied. He looked around the camp and his eyes locked onto a chocobo that couldn't escape. He knew how to get rid of the bandit leader now. But first came the punishment. He looked at Corent. "You'll learn that sometimes living is a worse sentence than death. I don't want you to show him too much mercy."

Dilys overheard him as she finished punting a minied bandit. "What will you do?"

He looked down at the bandit leader. "...I'll chop it off."


	9. Dreams

"Ahhhh..." Cloud washed his arm with a pumice stone as he sat in the basin in the backyard of the house. Vincent was facing him, scrubbing himself quietly. They had filled the basin with hot water long after they had gotten back to Aruni; Corent insisted they use it first, and the women had gone over to a neighbor's for a communal bath. It was the least they could do, they said.

"Araden was quite surprised, to say the least," Vincent finally said.

Cloud had a smug look on his face in the light of the single candle lit on the edge of the basin. "No more bandits, kids are back, and they got free chocobos with the supplies they had stolen."

Vincent let out a dry chuckle. "And whatever coin and weapons the bandits had on them."

"And the materia," Nanaki said as he appeared to the side of the basin. His grandchildren hopped onto the stony edge and sniffed at the soapy water. "Your descendants have their baubles back."

It had been an exciting evening, to say the least. Cloud had taken his frustrations out on several bandits before accosting their leader. They freed the children and cubs, then wrangled the chocobos together. Cloud and Corent hoisted the bleeding and shamed leader to one of the chocobos, tied him to it after gagging his mouth, and let it run out and into the night.

When they had returned to Aruni with the children, the supplies and the extra goodies looted from the camp, Araden had gone into a state of mild shock.

Cloud wet his hair again and slicked his blond spikes back. His arm rested on the edge of the basin. "Yeah. Corent thinks that guy is gonna come back after what I did to him." He snorted with a smirk. "I told Corent he'd have plenty of time to train before anyone was stupid enough to attack again."

"Hm." Vincent rubbed his face with the hot water and leaned back. Bathing together was nostalgic. They had done it during their journey together, and also when they visited Wutai. "Now that that is out of the way, maybe we can find out where Jenova is hiding."

The group was silent, the sound of the breeze, distant hammering and Reki's pawing at the water filling in the gap.

"Maybe that woman will talk to me again," Cloud mumbled before lowering his head towards the water. His knees peeked out of the water as his chin grazed its surface. "I think if I can just talk to her, maybe she can point us in the right direction."

"Perhaps." Nanaki clamped his jaw around Khlali's neck before she dunked herself into the water. He placed her on the ground and looked back up as Cloud stood up from the basin. He wiped himself with a linen towel before wrapping it around his waist.

"I'm gonna get dressed and take a short walk before bed." He wasn't really hungry, and it was probably too late for that anyway. Some of the villagers were still trying to repair the most serious damage done to a few of the buildings. The house was still missing a chunk of its roof, but it wasn't a worry with a clear night sky.

He dressed in his now clean clothing, zipping up his shirt and leaving the house. A gibbous moon shined in the sky, along with a trail of stars that looked no different than they had back in his time. At least that didn't change, he thought to himself. He recognized a planet among the twinkling stars with its continual red shine, and wondered if it still had a name.

Cloud calmed his mind as a breeze went by, and he made his way to the beach. It wasn't too far off from the house, and he took in what would be white sands and a pier with simple boats a bit farther off in the distance. The future was so primitive, but it was beautiful nonetheless, in his opinion at least. The air was so much cleaner than it was in Edge, and the sky was brightened only by the firmament and not artificial lights.

His mind wandered. Jenova was returning. Jenova would destroy this sad, beautiful, recovered world. He wouldn't lie and say he was doing it for the Planet, especially after it drug him into the future without his permission like this. It didn't care if he could die doing this, right? He rubbed his chin as his other hand propped up his elbow. But then his future descendants wouldn't be here...

Was this just one reality out of an infinite amount of possibilities?

He thought some more. Yes, there was a good possibility that was the case. Cloud stopped and crouched down; he traced shapes in the sand. A long line that ended in multiple lines. He made a dash on the middle of the line, he disappeared here. he spread a line outward from that, another reality where he doesn't return.

Would this work? It was starting to make his head hurt.

Cloud stood up and began walking again. That green eyed woman probably had the answers, answers he deserved to these questions. With a long sigh he looked back at the village and started to make his way back. He was finally starting to feel a little sleepy.

He walked through the village, getting reverent looks from any of the workers he passed by. His glowing blue eyes watched as Dilys, Yuffie and Vesta walked across the dirty road to the damaged home they would sleep in tonight. Beyond them Araden was out and about, talking to one of the villagers about something he couldn't hear. As annoying as that man had been, Cloud respected his care for the village.

"Hey, Spike. Thought you'd be gone longer," Yuffie said from the bedroll as Cloud entered the domicile.

He gave her a half-smile. "Nah. Gettin' sleepy, finally." He looked around; everyone was here except Corent, who he assumed was taking his bath. Cloud went to his already out bedroll andsat on it before unzipping his shirt and folding it.

He glanced at Dilys and Vesta as they got ready for bed. They had no idea what Jenova was or that he would have to leave the town to find where it was to keep them safe. A warm feeling welled in his heart; the last time he went after Jenova it was revenge after everything Sephiroth had done. This time, no matter the Planet's reasons, he was doing it to protect family.

Cloud laid down and immediately got head bumped by two still rambunctious, little red beasts. He chuckled. "Uncle Cloud needs his sleep, guys."

"Uncle? But you aren't related to us!" Khlali said with a cocked head.

He smiled at her upside-down visage. "In regards to family, blood doesn't matter." Cloud glanced at Nanaki, who held a pensive gaze. "Tifa always said we were a family of friends," he whispered.

"A family of friends," Nanaki mumbled back before tightening his jaw. "Right."

The two cubs looked between the two with thoughtful faces before settling down with their grandfather. The rest of the group began to settle as well, none stirring when Corent came in to go to his bedroll.

Cloud took in a deep breath and put a hand to his abdomen. Sleep came to him much easier tonight than it did the first night he was here, and it wasn't long before everything dark.

 _He was on top of a craggy mountain. The area looked rather familiar to Cloud. Mountains surrounded a tranquil lake, but there was a large black thing laying on the side of base of a peak. It was pointed here and there, with a shine to its spikes. It almost looked like it was a creature once._

 _Cloud blinked. Was this the cavern that used to hold Chaos?_

 _He looked about again. The mountains far off to the northwest looked like the Nibel peaks, and to the northeast there was black billowing smoke. The Corel Mountains! This was where Lucrecia rested in a pillar of materia._

 _"I was a fool."_

 _Cloud snapped his head to the side. It was that green eyed woman, in some strange armor that reminded him of a crusader from a fantasy book. She was quite a bit taller than he was. "Excuse me?"_

 _She looked down at him with a sad face framed with blonde locks. "The real threat. It wasn't your technology. I should not have done what I did."_

 _His eyes narrowed. "Who are you, and why did you send me into the future?"_

 _"I am Minerva, the will of the Lifestream. You are here to save this future from Jenova."_

 _Cloud shook his head. "Never heard of you," he said flatly. "This is your mess, y'know." He waved his hand towards the black thing. That must have been Onyx Weapon's corpse, he realized._

 _Her lips were a flat line as she appraised the warrior in front of her. "And I'm fixing it, with your help."_

 _He crossed his arms. "You could have just warned your past self so it never happened in the first place!"_

 _Minerva shook her head. "It doesn't work like that. This magic, the way time works...The past has already happened here. The future has not happened."_

 _"So...this isn't the only future?"_

 _"No, just one of many. If you survive, you will end up in a different future than this one," she said quietly. "This one was the default future."_

 _Cloud looked away. "How do you know all of this?"_

 _"It took centuries to develop this magic in the Lifestream. I can only go to roughly your time period, however. It seems to be a particular point in time on this Planet." She looked towards Onyx Weapon._

 _"You don't know," he stated._

 _"I'm a goddess, but I'm not omniscient."_

 _Cloud sighed. "Right."_

 _"Jenova awakens." Minerva pointed at the Onyx Weapon. Cloud watched, and after a minute it began to budge. Not like it was alive, but like something was trying to push through. Eventually something tore through the black shell, blue and humanoid and tentacled from what he could see from the distance he was at. A limb stuck out of its left side._

 _He chewed on his lip._

 _"You must get to West Continent, Cloud. With your friends."_

 _He sighed. "I'm gonna risk my friends and family..." Were there enough, were they skilled enough?_

 _Almost as if reading his mind, Minerva nodded. "There are others at the pool. They will help you."_

 _His eyes widened as he gawked at her. "What? No! Don't bring anyone else here—"_

 _"They will help."_

 _Everything began to fade. "Stop this!"_


	10. Through the Waters

Tifa waited in the bar, her face an anxious mess. She had closed Seventh Heaven after the lunch rush and let Denzel and Marlene go out and play with their friends. They were worried, she could tell. Cloud still hadn't returned, and neither he nor Yuffie answered their phones. She let the others know so they could keep a lookout for the two.

She sat in a booth, nursing some fruit juice. Her pregnancy was making her feel tired and a little lightheaded at the moment. As much as she liked being able to do things on her own, as much as she hated having to depend on others because of a weakness on her part, Tifa really wished Cloud was here. He would have had to notice she was out of sorts lately. Or maybe he had been oblivious.

Maybe, a little voice in her head said, he was ignoring what he was seeing.

Tifa sipped her drink and squeezed her hand. Would he do that? Cloud was kind, he wasn't flippant. He liked kids, he liked having a family. He wouldn't ignore her if he knew...He was probably just wrapped up in work.

She let out a little sigh. Where was Cloud, where was Yuffie? Nanaki would be here soon. She hoped he would be, at least. He said he was on the ferry while she was doing her mid-morning chores. Would the scent trails be too faint for his nose? Tifa rubbed her belly; Nanaki would sniff that out first.

Almost on que, there was a scratching on the front door. "I'm coming!" Tifa scooted out of her seat, mentally struggling against the sluggishness taking over her body. She took a deep breath, then carefully walked towards the door. Tifa peeked out of the crack and looked down to a large, ocher eye watching her. She opened the door more, letting in the dull rays of a setting sun. "Hey, Nanaki."

"Hello, Tifa." He backed up a few paces as Tifa closed the door behind her. The kids had keys to the bar, and they knew she probably wouldn't be home when they were done playing. She turned to see the red beast cocking his head and sniffing the air. "...Tifa?"

She nodded with a huff. "Yeah. I'm..." Tifa trailed off. Saying it out loud was difficult to say the least.

"I see. Congratulations," he said in a mild manner. He seemed a little shocked.

Her lips pressed together. "It was certainly a surprise when I found out."

"Does Cloud know?"

Tifa looked down, and she blinked a few times. She shook her head.

"Hm. Well...He'll never find out if we don't find him." Nanaki sniffed the ground around him, his neck pouch grazing the pavement. "I faintly smell Yuffie. It's becoming muddled with every other human's scent, however."

"I'll follow your lead," she said as she began walking by his side.

He sniffed about some more, glancing upwards towards her. "Just tell me if I'm going too fast."

She shook her head. "I'll be fine."

They traveled towards the Plaza, and they both got stares as Nanaki sniffed about. It wasn't hard for them to ignore them when there were more important things on their minds. Tifa took a few deep breaths whenever her head felt light, and Nanaki would look at her with a concerned frown. The two finally reached the other side of the Plaza, near a street that went directly towards the ruins.

Nanaki swished his tail. "Her scent goes this way. I'm sure she's at the church."

But all night and all day? "There's no trail leading away?"

He sniffed around the street. "No, just this one trail that grows stronger."

Tifa bit her lip. "I hope she's not hurt..." She took a few steps, then fluttered her eyes closed as a bout of dizziness struck. It had been particularly nasty today, and she hoped it would subside soon.

It passed after a little while, and she felt something warm and furry brush up against her leg. She opened her eyes to Nanaki right up by her side, watching her with a frown. "Tifa, hop onto my back. You aren't feeling well."

She shook her head. "I'm fine, Nanaki."

"No, you aren't." He gave her a smile. "If I can handle Yuffie riding me for miles, you wouldn't be any trouble at all," he assured her.

Tifa looked around, then held Nanaki's shoulders as she gently put her leg over him and sat down. They had to move, anyway. Every minute counted.

Nanaki quickly made his way towards the church, making sure Tifa was comfortable with his pace. She held onto him firmly, and despite her reservations(because she didn't want to make a friend her mount), she was grateful. Sitting down helped her head.

"That's Cloud's bike!"

Nanaki trotted over, and Tifa slid off as he came to a stop in front of Fenrir. She looked it over and checked the compartments; the swords were gone. Tifa looked down at her friend as he sniffed about. "There is no exit trail. Just one for each," he said shortly after raising his head and looking at the church.

They both walked over to the partially destroyed building and opened the doors. It was like nothing had changed since the last time she had been here. The strewed about pews, the bubbling pool of water, the pale stone walls. The flowers and the Buster Sword, the aura of peace.

She knew Cloud came here without them sometimes. It was intuitive; he was drawn to the church like a moth to flame. Tifa couldn't blame him at all, it was the perfect haunt when one wanted to clear their heads. She had done so a few times too, on the nights Cloud was gone for a few days on a long delivery.

She would have tried to talk to Aerith, but she wasn't sure if she was still around or not. It was still a soothing place regardless if Aerith was there or not.

The two friends walked down the aisle, the sound of their footfalls on creaking wood floorboards and the bubbling of the pool the only sounds coming to their ears. It would be soothing if they weren't here on a search for two missing people dear to them. They stopped at the pool, Nanaki's nose twitching as he sniffed about. "It ends here..."

 _Please, leave._

"Did you hear that?" Tifa looked around. It almost sounded like Aerith whispering in her ears.

Nanaki looked up from the floor with a confused frown. "Hear what?"

 _You have to go, now! I didn't know—_

It felt like a giant's hand shoved them. Tifa's vision spun out of control, and she blacked out as her hand touched the cool waters of the pool, Nanaki's confused roar the last thing she heard.

* * *

"Mm..."

"Tifa, Please wake up." Something cold and moist pressed against her shoulder. Her head jolted back a little.

Tifa grunted as she began to pull herself up from...it felt like mud. "Ugh." She opened her eyes to darkness but for Nanaki's tail flame. It cast a small, warm glow that revealed the flowers she was touching or crushing with her body. She spat out moist dirt that had leaked between her lips. "How long was I out?"

"...About an hour," he replied. Nanaki sounded relieved, then the sound of his sniffing reached her ears. "Tifa, I...I don't know where we are. I..." His silhouette looked about.

She slowly stood herself up and tried to wipe away the mud and flower petals from her face and body. There was the sound of crickets and frogs and even an owl, and the far off sceam of a Coeurl that made her blood run cold.

She always hated that sound.

"Are we in a forest? What do you see?" Tifa looked behind her. The starlight and moonlight that her eyes were beginning to adjust to made out something that looked man-made and cold. The rest looked like trees.

"I...I see ruins. And yes, I think we're in a forest. But these flowers, and the pool..." He sniffed about, then stilled as he stared at nothing in particular.

"...Nanaki?"

He took in a deep breath. "I smell them," he said quietly. "It's faint, but it's them."

Her eyes lit up as she looked down at him. "Cloud and Yuffie? They're here?"

"And Vincent. And...I...No. Let's follow this trail. Hop on." He came close to Tifa, and she slowly placed herself on his back; after that lengthy blackout she wouldn't complain about using his help. He began to take off towards the source of the scents that disturbed him so.

"Vincent is here? But I got a message from him this morning. He said he was in Mideel," she replied with a frown and growing confusion. This didn't feel like Mideel; it was too cool and there wasn't the sound of a particular cricket that was unique to the islands. She grew to know that sound when she was keeping care of Cloud as he suffered from mako poisoning. "Nanaki, were we pushed into the pool?" Her mind was starting to settle.

Nanaki trotted through a narrow path illuminated by his tail and fireflies. "It's his scent. He is with Cloud and Yuffie. I...and it smells like...kind of like me...?" His mind was trying to deny it, because it sounded ridiculous.

Tifa raised a brow as she looked about for any danger between the trees. "You?"

"It sounds strange, but it's even stranger smelling it."

"I bet." She sighed. "This whole thing is strange on top of strange."

He chuckled shortly. "Yes, it is. Let's get to the bottom of it."

Nanaki took his time sniffing out the trail, trying to find where it led. He hoped it wouldn't lead to his lost friends, dead in the dirt. He really hoped this was all just a very strange dream, and he was back in Cosmo Canyon in his room.

After what felt like hours they reached an opening in the forest, and they were greeted to a beautiful star speckled sky that held pale clouds over what looked like a village. There were puffs of smoke and the scent of death that mingled with the forest breeze that came from inland. The sky was beginning to turn hues of red and gold in the east.

"They must be there," Nanaki said as he began to trot down the dirt path.

Tifa's shoulders shuddered as a light wind passed them by; she was still wet and muddied, and the air was a little cool. "I hope so." She looked about the fields one either side of them and noticed they were worked. These were farmlands.

They sky lightened further as they approached the village. Tifa glanced at the damaged walls; something bad must have happened very recently. An older man with a chipped axe watched the two with wariness and confusion. Nanaki stopped a good ten feet away, not wanting to get any closer to the on edge guard.

Tifa cleared her throat. "Um, good morning. We're looking for our friends..."

The guard stroked his beard a few times before bringing his hand back to his axe. His beady eyes studied Tifa's mud-smeared face, then down to Nanaki. His thick, greying brows came together, and he moved his head to look at the tattoo on the red beast's forearm.

"Eh?" The guard scratched his head. "Oh. You must be here for your Elder."

"Huh?" Tifa blinked several times, and she scratched her arm nervously. Elders?

The guard pointed at Nanaki. "Him." He looked at Tifa. "I guess you're another one of those folks that musta came from Junon." Again he looked at Nanaki, his eyes squinting as he studied him.

Nanaki's jaw was partially open, his eye staring at the man. His heart was in his throat; he shook his head to clear it. "I, uh...yeah. I need to talk to him."

The guard nodded, then looked at Tifa. "You must be lookin' for them strangers that came recently. If ya weren't with this one here I woulda thought ya might be trouble, but ya both can come on in. Just behave yerselves."

"Y-yeah. I've been really worried about them, you see. Thank you!"

He opened the gate. "They're stayin' at Corent's house. Can ya sniff'em out?"

Nanaki nodded as he approached the opened gate trepidatiously. "Thank you."

He sniffed the sandy earth, then headed in the direction of a trail of many interconnected scents. The sound of a hammer striking metal could be heard somewhere nearby and behind them, and seagulls were beginning their morning cries over the sea. The two looked about the small, damaged village, a few people out and about and staring at them.

Nanaki stopped at a stone residence that had part of its roof destroyed by what looked like fire. There was the sound of familiar murmuring voices from within. Tifa slid off of her friend, then stretched her body and got rid of the kinks in her lower back. It was as much out of soreness as it was out of a desire to stall. She wanted to know if Cloud and Yuffie were alright, but there were so many things running through her head.

Where were they? What was Vincent doing here? Why did Nanaki smell himself here? Tifa looked beyond the wall, towards the forest they had left. Why did that grey thing peeking out of the trees look so much like the Shinra Tower and the Sister Ray? Was this some strange dream, and she was still back at the church? Part of her hoped so, because she had no idea what to do next, whether she found them or not.

She bit her lip, anxious of what lay beyond the door. At last she released a breath she was holding and firmly rapped upon the door. The talking stopped, and she could feel the eyes of everyone on the other side.

After what felt like forever, the door opened.


	11. Stubbornness

**Thanks to kelleyj17 for helping me smooth out this chapter.  
**

* * *

A young man was staring at her from the doorway. He reminded Tifa of Zack, but instead of deep indigo eyes staring at her with an unearthly glow and a healthy helping of cockiness, these were a vibrant green and filled with growing confusion. He rubbed the back of his head, then glanced down at Nanaki. "Eh?" He looked back into the house for several long moments before turning back towards them.

Tifa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hi, um...We're looking for two people, named Cloud and Yuffie," she began slowly. "Are they here?"

"O-oh. Uh—"

A hand grasped the stranger's shoulder and he weakly looked to his side. He quickly moved away from the door, and Cloud's visage appeared moments later. His eyes widened as he looked upon her and Nanaki, his mouth parting a little and his other hand limply holding a grilled fish. Tifa's ruby eyes brightened and she took a step closer.

"Cloud!"

She hadn't seen him in two days, and she was glad he wasn't injured in some remote location, or dead by the side of the road. He was here, where ever here was, and they would just have to find a way to get home to the kids before they noticed her absence, too. Despite how uncertain she felt about Cloud and the village he found himself in, she flashed him a smile to show she wasn't angry with him.

"T-Tifa..." He stood there, gobsmacked, looking her up and down. She smiled tiredly at him even as she shivered. She tilted her head to the side slightly, studying him back. His hair was in absolute disarray and his jaw was growing short, dark gold scruff. His gaze went to Nanaki, then his eyes moved to the side. "Uhhh..."

He didn't sound happy to see her. That put a damper on their reunion, she thought.

Tifa frowned, and waved her hand in front of Cloud to get his attention. "Cloud?" His eyes snapped back to hers. He was looking as lost as ever. "Where are we?"

Cloud turned his head to look behind him, then turned back and grabbed Tifa's arm. "L-let's get you cleaned up!"

That was sudden. Tifa would have preferred an explanation, but glancing at her muddy chest she decided that perhaps cleaning up would be best first. She had found Cloud, and he could explain what was going on. She hoped.

As he pulled her inside, she looked about wildly at all the faces staring at her. There was a young girl with sandy hair looking at her with a puzzled expression, and a woman with dirty blonde hair looking between her and the door. Tifa's eyes traveled to a tall man sitting on the floor with a familiar red cape, draped upon the head of a familiar young ninja. "Yuffie? Vincent?"

"Welcome to the party," Yuffie grumbled beneath Vincent's cape.

The raven haired man sighed, then gave a greeting nod to Tifa. "It's nice to see you after such a long time. I just wish it was under better circumstances," he said lowly.

"...Better circumstances?" Her eyes snapped towards Nanaki. No, he was bigger and greyer, but there was the "XIII" tattoo and that familiar, single ocher eye. She stopped and stared, eyeing the two cubs flanking him.

At least they were, until they saw the younger Nanaki warily enter, and then they charged towards him with abandon. "Grandpa?"

"...What?" Young Nanaki's eye looked back and forth between the two cubs anxiously.

Tifa slipped out of Cloud's hand and motioned towards the group. "What's going on?" Unease was beginning to twist her gut. Why were there two Nanakis, and what was Vincent doing here? Who were these people they had shacked up with?

Young Nanaki was sniffing at the cubs, then stared at his older counterpart, who was giving the same look back. After several tense moments, young Nanaki proved to Tifa and Yuffie that Cid's mouth and occasionally Barret's and Cloud's had influenced his vocabulary. "...Holy shit."

"Indeed," older Nanaki said quietly. Vincent looked uncomfortably between the two as Yuffie looked on, no one certain if she wanted to laugh or scream.

Cloud took Tifa's hand again. "I'll tell you," he began as he pulled her towards the back. "Just...let me help clean you up first."

He finally got her to the backyard and she looked about at the basin, the chicken coop and walls that barely hid them. Cloud motioned towards her clothing with his fish. "We can wash those, and um, let me ask Vesta about getting some hot water..." He started to go back into the house.

"Who is Vesta?"

He turned his head to look at her, his eyes still full of bewilderment. "M-my descendant." He squeezed his fist, then went back inside.

Tifa was floored. They were in the future? How far? There were so many questions that poured themselves into her mind. But then his words hit her: They were _his_ descendants. She rubbed her belly. What about this one? Did it survive? Maybe it didn't. Or maybe they didn't make it as a couple, and she had to go her own way.

She sat on the edge of the basin, her head in her hands. She rubbed her mud-crusted locks as she mulled over everything, always coming back to that little line. Cloud had had kids, but what if it wasn't with her?

"Hey. We had some water that was gonna be boiled for porridge, it should be the right temperature for you to take a bath in," Cloud said next to her. She looked up as he carefully dumped a cauldron's worth of hot water into the basin. He disappeared into the house again, then returned to her side. He held out his hand. "I'll wash your clothes, Tifa."

Tifa looked around. This was not a good place to take a bath. She held her hands on her arms as her shoulders shuddered from a chill breeze, and she shook her head. "This isn't exactly private."

He sighed. "I know, but you kinda get used to it. No one in the village bothered us when we bathed." She still wasn't budging, and he scratched the back of his head. "I'll stand guard, alright?"

She fidgeted and looked at the steaming water. She really needed to clean up, it was just so exposed! Resigning after a few more hesitant moments, she stripped while watching beyond the wall, then quickly sat in the basin. The warm water felt wonderful on her aching body and she sighed contentedly as she closed her eyes.

Tifa poured some of the water on her head, then began washing the mud off of her face. Soon she heard a familiar noise, and slowly opened her eyes. Cloud was using a wash board on her clothing. She cleared her throat and he looked back at her nervously. "You have a lot of explaining to do," she said as her mind returned to the present and the past.

He nodded, then squeezed the water out of her shirt. Cloud stood up and hung it on a rope holding other articles of clothing. "Yuffie and I were at the church. We were talking, and when we turned to leave...it was like a gust of wind pushed us into the pool." He sat back down and began washing more of her clothing. "And now, we're in the future."

Tifa thought back to her time at the church. Aerith tried warning her to leave. Her eyes traveled about the area in front of her, and she eventually looked up at what really must be the Shinra tower. "What happened?" she whispered. "This looks like the distant past."

"We're five hundred years into the future," Cloud responded flatly. He glanced her way and noticed the look of shock on her face.

"F-five hundred years? But why is everything so..." Tifa looked about her, then eyed the coop on the far side of the yard. A chicken was staring at her wide eyed with its mouth agape. She stared back at it witheringly, then turned her head to look at Cloud again. "...Primitive?"

He sighed. "After Deepground, the Planet created new Weapons out of a guy named Genesis, and Weiss. I guess you didn't know Genesis...He was a First Class Soldier, like Sephiroth. I saw him a few times when I worked for Shinra." He paused to again put more clothing on the line. "The Planet turned them into Weapons, and when we were around sixty, one of them attacked Edge. We...we died," he said quietly.

"We died from a Weapon attack? It destroyed Edge, didn't it?"

Cloud nodded. "Yep. Junon was attacked, but it apparently survived as a human settlement. Corel is uninhabitable because of the coal mine fires." He slapped out Tifa's shorts and examined it for any more mud particles. "The Planet wasn't looking to kill off humans, just our technology. So, it destroyed our cities and energy supplies. That's why everything is so backwater now."

Tifa held a hand to her chest and looked at her reflection in the water. The Planet they saved ended up killing them and ruining any progress humanity had made. It was a bitter feeling, almost as bitter as the feeling that she might not have any descendants of her own. She set her jaw and huffed through her nose, then tilted her head upward towards the sky. "And why are we here?" she whispered.

"We were sent back to save this future from Jenova. I don't know how Minerva, the one that sent us back, missed Jenova of all things," he said with an irritated growl, "but I'm gonna have to fix it so we can go home."

Tifa was trying to soak everything in, and she crouched at the basin's edge on her knees, her wet hair covering her back and her head resting on her arms. "You're not doing it alone," she stated quietly.

"I know. Yuffie, Vincent, Corent and Dilys...and uh, two Nanakis," he said as he hung up her panties. Cloud stood and walked to the basin, put a towel that he had fetched from the clothes line on the edge, then sat on the ground next to it, looking out towards the treeline.

"And me, too," Tifa responded tersely.

He turned around to look at her, and shook his head. "I-I don't want you to come with us."

She narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Teef, just stay here and watch Vesta and the cubs. You shouldn't have been involved anyway," he mumbled as he turned his head away.

"And why not?" she asked sharply.

Tifa saw him fidgeting in place. He was probably trying to come up with the words to explain, and despite her growing agitation she patiently waited. For all she knew, he might actually have a good reason, something she hadn't thought of or a particular danger in the future. "I...I don't think you're in fighting shape anymore, Teef."

Her jaw went slack. "You what?"

"I mean I know you practice in the garage, and I spar with you, but I mean...when was the last time you fought a monster?" She was silent, and he continued after a pause. "Or the last time you had to hike for miles upon miles? I don't want you to have to go through all of that again."

"I can handle it," she said curtly.

Cloud looked back and into her eyes. He sucked in a breath. "I don't want you to handle it, I want you to stay some place safe," he said firmly.

She was beginning to seethe now. "I went through all this trouble to look for you," she hissed, "and you're gonna treat me like this?!" She could feel her heart pounding in her head.

He heaved a sigh. "I don't think—"

"You aren't thinking, you're right!" She pulled herself up out of the water and grabbed the towel to wrap around her. "You can't stop me from coming, Cloud Strife!"

Cloud groaned and covered his face with his hand. "Please..."

She shook her head. "I can't believe you." Tifa began to dry herself off, then looked up as that young woman with blonde hair and amber eyes came out of the house, holding a small pile of clothing. Tifa raised a brow at her.

"Ah, M-my name is Dilys," she said with a small head bow. "You needed some clothing?" Dilys asked weakly.

Tifa left the basin, approached Dilys, and gently took the pile after making sure the towel wouldn't fall off of her. "Thank you," she said sharply. She looked down at Cloud. "I'd like some privacy right now, please."

He bit his lip but nodded, standing up and leaving with Dilys. As soon as he left Tifa let out a huff and put her back to the stone of the cottage, sliding down to sit. This was a miserable thing to discover. The Planet had blotted out any hope of human advancement, and decided to drag Cloud, Yuffie, Nanaki and her into the future to slay a revived Jenova. The cherry on top was Cloud acting like a chauvinistic jackass towards her.

He thought _she_ wasn't capable anymore? Tifa cracked her knuckles and stood up. She would show him she was more than capable.

* * *

Denzel unlocked the door to the bar and let Marlene in. It was quiet but for their footsteps on the floor and the ceiling fans above their heads. There was a little light from the dusk outside, and Marlene went to the light switch to brighten up the counter.

There was a note with Tifa's handwriting laying on the smooth stone of the counter, in plain black ink.

 **Dear Denzel and Marlene,**

 **If I'm not home before eight, there's a casserole ready to put in the oven. I put the directions on it just in case I was late. Nanaki will be staying the night, and I already have the guest bed ready for him. Call if you need anything!**

 **Love, Tifa**

Denzel looked at the wall clock; it was eight-thirty. They had gotten home a bit late themselves, it seemed. He looked down and saw Marlene preheating the oven already. He scratched his cheek, then went over to the sink to wash his hands. "Do you think we should call Tifa?"

Marlene nodded before dunking her hands in the stream of water. She sudded her hands up and took a passing glance at Denzel. "Yeah. I wanna know if they found any clues."

"Yeah."

Denzel dried his hands off and walked upstairs to Cloud's office. He picked up the phone that lay nestled between photos and receipts, and dialed Tifa's number.

It immediately went to voicemail.

He tried a few more times, unease and anxiety growing in his heart. Tifa said Cloud's phone was doing the same thing. Now Tifa's phone, too. Was she okay? What if Cloud and Tifa were tired of raising them and this was just a scheme to rid themselves of two orphans—

"Denzel? Did you call Tifa?" Denzel turned his head to the side to see Marlene peeking from the doorway.

He hesitantly nodded. "It-it went to voicemail. I called a couple of times and it didn't ring at all."

She bit her lip. "Can you call my Dad?"

"I don't know his number, Marlene."

She walked over and took the phone from him. "I'll do it, don't worry." Marlene dialed Barret, and after a few rings his booming voice greeted her.

"Yo! Tifa? Cloud?"

"Daddy!"

She heard him grunt in surprise, then his voice softened. "Hey, baby girl. How you doin'?"

Her eyes looked about before beginning. "We can get a hold of Tifa," she admitted.

"Where'd she go?"

"She went with Nanaki to look for Cloud," Marlene explained. "They aren't back yet."

"Hm. Lemme try'n get a hold of those two. She wouldn't be out this long with you two around."

The two children waited several minutes as Barret hung up and tried Tifa's and Nanaki's numbers. The office phone rang again, and Marlene picked it up again. "Did you get them?" she asked hopefully.

"Naw. Look baby girl, I'm gonna drive down to Edge. If she don't show up tonight, you think you two'll be alright alone for the night?"

Marlene pursed her lips, then nodded as she ignored the worry growing in her chest. "We'll be alright, Daddy."

"Okay. I'm gonna call some of our friends an' see if they can help. You two be good, I'll be there by morning."

"Thanks, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too, Marlene. Keep an ear out for the phone." Click.

She sighed and hung the phone up. Denzel put a hand on her shoulder. "What did he say?"

She turned around with a sad expression on her face. "He'll be here in the morning, and he was gonna call everyone to let them know Tifa and Nanaki were missing, too." She looked at the phone, then Denzel again. "Daddy said to listen for the phone, too."

Denzel groaned and put his hands in his pockets. They were going to have to fend for themselves for a night, not a difficult thing to do, but he couldn't stop wondering and worrying about his lost guardians. He didn't want to lose loved ones. Not again.


	12. Preparation

Vesta looked about with a doleful expression as the adults prepared for their journey. Cloud was teaching Corent how to properly sharpen the edge of his spear with a whetstone, and Dilys was preparing their parents' backpack and knapsack with needed items. They would be stowed away on the small wagon they had procured from the bandit camp. That woman, Tifa, was whispering something to Elder Nanaki; they both looked tense.

Tifa stopped her conversation, stared at Cloud, then looked back at Elder Nanaki to speak again. She looked so stern to Vesta. Did Cloud upset her so? The blonde haired girl decided to sweep a bit. She wondered when Yuffie would get back, she had said she was picking up a weapon from Kalev. Young Nanaki had gone out to get some air, he had claimed, and the cubs had followed him out the door while asking him questions. Elder Vincent would be back from the market soon, too.

Was he going to get Yuffie a little gift?

Elder Vincent seemed to like Yuffie a lot, she thought. Vesta felt she would miss her when she finally went back to her time. Cloud, too; her ancestor was quiet and kind, and held such a powerful aura of safety to her. She wasn't sure about Tifa yet, but if she followed Cloud all the way here, Vesta figured she cared deeply for him. Someone who would do that must be strong.

The door opened up suddenly. "Look who's back with a badass weapon!"

Tifa sighed harshly. "Yuffie!"

"What'd I do, huh?" Yuffie twirled about a strange weapon. "Looky looky!"

"That's the Yuffie I remembered," Elder Nanaki said with a chuckle.

Everyone took a look at the shuriken Kalev made for the ninja. It looked like the blades were made of a pearly substance similar to what Corent's spear was made of. Yuffie had said she had a special commission she asked of the old man and he had said he would have his apprentice work through the night to see it made. She seemed absolutely elated with her new toy.

Young Nanaki shyly scooted in with the cubs in tow. He looked mildly numb; the walk seemed to have done nothing for his mood, and perhaps it was the cubs' fault for not allowing him time alone. He glanced at his older self, tensed his jaw, then crept to the opposite wall to curl up and stare at the back door.

"Children, leave him be," Elder Nanaki commanded. They looked between them, then reluctantly trotted over to him. They immediately became curious of Tifa instead of their young grandfather, and began sniffing at her belly. "You smell funny!" Khlali remarked.

Reki agreed. "You smell a little like Dhaeja, she's—"

"Reki, Khlali. Enough."

Tifa looked down at the cubs, then sent a piercing look Cloud's way. His face was paler than usual, and he had momentarily stopped sharpening one of his swords. "We're talking before we leave, Cloud."

He gave the faintest of nods, then began sharpening his sword again with a furrowed brow.

Vincent came in a few minutes later. "I have loaded up the wagon with supplies. It should be enough to reach Junon."

"If nothin' happens between then and there," Corent remarked.

"Are you sure we can't go, grandfather?"

Elder Nanaki nodded. "This is a terribly dangerous journey."

Reki scoffed. "We made it here with you, what's so bad about going to the other continent? We traveled from there!"

"What do you think, Young Gramps?" Khlali looked over at Young Nanaki.

He lifted his head and looked between the three. "I...I don't know," he began. "If you stay here, we'll come back..."

"But what if the bandit leader comes back?!"

Elder Nanaki huffed. "We have no safe place to hide you besides here and Cosmo Canyon, children. Perhaps if you were older, it would not be a problem."

We're old enough," Reki insisted.

"You are both barely seventeen."

Young Nanaki did his best impression of a shrug. "Well...If...If one of us takes them to Cosmo Canyon, it would be alright."

The cubs' eyes brightened. "Yeah!"

"Oh. But I'd be here by myself," Vesta pouted.

Reki looked at her, then at Elder Nanaki. "She can stay at Cosmo Canyon! We like her."

Elder Nanaki cringed. "No, no...It would not be wise. Maybe we should just take you two to Cosmo Canyon."

Young Nanaki frowned at his older counterpart as Vesta looked down at her feet. "It would be best to keep the young ones together, you know."

"I don't think so. No, little Vesta should stay where her people can keep an eye on her."

"And what if something happens here, or we cannot make it back to Aruni? She would be alone for possibly months!"

"I trust Nanaki...both of you, to protect a little girl," Tifa said shortly.

"She needs to stay here, where it's safe," Cloud protested.

Tifa snapped her head towards him and narrowed her eyes. "She'll be safe with us and she'll be safe in Cosmo Canyon."

Elder Nanaki groaned quietly. "Are you serious, Tifa? It's such a long journey, and the cubs..."

"If you're alright with them going, why not her?"

Cloud motioned towards Tifa with his hand. "I still think you should stay here and watch over Vesta."

He immediately thought that was the wrong thing to say as a murderous glare cut into his soul. Yuffie let out an "oh snap" as she watched the drama unfold in a careful dance that only Cloud and Tifa could do. The house became quiet but for the crackling of the dying fire.

Tifa pointed at the back door. "Let's talk now."

Cloud nodded, then turned his head to speak to Corent. "Get everything ready. We're gonna leave afterwards."

The two entered the backyard, the tension thickly clinging to both. They stood facing each other but neither eyes looking the other in the face. The soothing sounds of the chickens, village and sea were in contrast to how tense the situation was between them, the sun warming their skin.

"You knew I was pregnant," she said quietly.

Cloud pursed his lips and dared to look at her. "I did."

Tifa looked into those blue wells that were his eyes. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I didn't know you knew already. I...it doesn't matter." He let out a long sigh. "Tifa, you have to stay here and watch Vesta. I don't want you fighting Jenova of all things right now."

It wasn't that his protest was unreasonable, it was that she knew she was capable even if she was two months pregnant, and she wanted to fight by his side again. "I can do it, Cloud. I can still fight."

"But you shouldn't," he retorted. "You're putting the baby at risk like this!"

She shook her head. "It's not that far along. You're going to need all the help you can get!"

"I have plenty of help," he said as he turned away from her. "At this point I'd be worrying about you instead of focusing on killing Jenova." His head turned a little, though his bangs blocked his eyes from her sight. "You understand that, right?"

Tifa crossed her arms. "So when we confronted Sephiroth, you weren't worrying over me then?"

His head sunk down, and all she could see were his soft yellow spikes again. "Of course I was. But this is different."

"How is it any different?"

He let out a short and sharp sigh. "Because of the baby, Teef. You have a responsibility to that baby of ours, and so do I."

Tifa put her hands on her hips and leaned forward a little. "We do, and one of those responsibilities is to get home safe and sound after this is all over. There's a better chance of that if we fight together."

"If I lose either of you—"

"I'm going, Cloud. You know that I was always going to fight by your side...and if you fail, it won't matter if I'm here in Aruni or with you. We will all die."

She saw him nod, then fidget with his hands a little as his arms moved subtly. He was probably rubbing his thumbs together like he always did when he thought on something in an argument. "So, that's how it is."

Tifa snorted. "It's always been like that."

"Right." He slowly turned around, his eyes filled with a dread determination. In a very quiet voice, he said, "Tifa, you know...you know I love you, right?"

A shy smile grew on her face. "I do. And you know I love you, too."

"Yeah." He came close, very close, and put an arm around her waist as he faced her. "You're so stubborn."

Tifa leaned her head into his chest and let out a short chuckle as he nuzzled the crown of her head. "Aren't we both?"

"Heh, yeah. So I hope you can forgive me."

She looked up with a raised brow. "For what?"

"Doing what I have to do." He looked down at her, and his eyes shimmered jade for an instant. "Sleep."

Nothing happened.

Tifa blinked at him, then her face became warped with rage as his paled. His wide eyes shifted side to side, and then he remembered her Ribbon. "Teef—"

She shoved him away and into the wall of the house, the back of his head bouncing off the stone. "You son of a bitch!"

"Tifa, please!"

He didn't get to say anything else as Tifa lunged at him, her fist slamming into his head with all the rage she could muster at the moment. He slumped to the ground as she let out an angry growl. "How's that for a sleep spell, Cloud?! You absolute asshole!"

She thought about leaving him there so he knew what it felt like to be left behind, but thought better of it. Like her, he was needed. Tifa picked him up, holding him like a fainted bride, then kicked the door open before crossing through and into the house.

Everyone watched in a bewildered silence until Yuffie spoke up, "so I guess Spike tried to pull a fast one on ya, huh?"

Tifa turned her head slowly, she couldn't get that spinning feeling right now. She had to look and be strong. "We're leaving."

She left the house and went up to the wagon, two chocobos warbling at the front of it and waiting to take off. Tifa dumped Cloud into the back near a sack of food and gave a stern stare to her unconscious partner, a welt forming on his forehead where she had decked him. "Reno was right, you are heavy."

The pugilist sat herself on the wagon next to his splayed out form, taking in several deep breaths as she centered herself. Tifa watched as Yuffie came out of the house, followed by Vincent and Dilys. As she finished calming herself she let out a harsh sigh. It was a bitter beginning to a long journey.


	13. Ahead on Our Way

**A/N: Thanks to kelleyj17 for her beta, and Happy New Year to you all!  
**

* * *

Cloud was standing on another mountainside with that strange woman, again. He really wasn't in the mood to see Minerva again, not after Tifa nearly caved in the stone wall of the house with that punch of hers. He felt especially annoyed at this so-called goddess for dragging Tifa into this. "What do you want now?"

"The Calamity is slow right now, but in time it will grow stronger. I am glad your group is finally moving along."

Cloud seethed as he crossed his arms over his chest, and he glowered at Minerva. "Tifa is pregnant! How dare you bring her into this mess!"

Minerva made a dismissive movement with her hand. "You can make more babies. There is only one planet."

The blond warrior leveled his glare at Minerva. "Excuse me?"

"The Planet must survive."

"Then you can take care of it!"

"It is not that simple."

He huffed, then began pacing. The goddess watched him patiently before continuing. "The lives of a few will always be sacrificed for the many. It is the same as when the Cetra sealed away the Calamity the first time."

"You're nothing more than a child that never thinks things through." Cloud ran a hand through his spiky hair before tucking it between his other arm and chest. "Even after five hundred years."

She continued to study him as he stopped pacing and faced her. "A little recognition would be nice, y'know. The people we've lost..." Cloud looked down. "Aerith died trying to save the Planet. We risked our lives to stop Sephiroth. I wouldn't have minded just living my life as a courier, but you cut it short, and now you wanna use me." His eyes came up to hers, which were holding a thoughtful look. "At this point I wouldn't be surprised if your little spell was only one way."

"Aerith..." Minerva turned away and walked a few paces from Cloud. "The last Cetra. She died too soon in this timeline."

"You don't say." Cloud attempted to kick a pebble off of the ledge he was on, but his foot went through it. He tsked. "A goddess too weak to fight her own battles, but strong enough to drag people through time. If you wanna bother me again, make sure you have some useful information for me."

"Hm." Minerva turned back and nodded as Cloud watched her from behind his shoulder. "The next we meet, I will have more for you."

"More what?" Cloud didn't quite like how she said that. "What are you planning?"

"I only wish to save the Planet. But I think I can help a little more again."

"I think he's finally waking up."

A long and deep groan passed his lips, and a sharp pain shot through his head. He squeezed his still-closed eyes as he sucked in a breath. The surface he was laying on was hard and the sun was beating down on his face periodically, and he could hear the squeak and rumble of what sounded like wheels as he jiggled a little from movement.

Something cool patted his cheek. "Elder...Cloud? Cloud, are you awake?"

He very slowly opened his eyes, and a fuzzy face began to come into focus. Cloud let out a grunt, then he sniffled before rubbing his bleary eyes. "Dilys?"

"Yes! How are you feeling?"

He blinked slowly as his head pounded away. "Like shit."

"Oh." Dilys looked unsure how to proceed with the conversation for a few moments, then took in a deep breath as she sat by him. "We're traveling through the outskirts of the Midgar Forest right now. It should be a while before we get anywhere near Junon."

"I see...Thanks." Very slowly, Cloud began to sit up. He gently touched his tender forehead and winced as his fingers touched the welt Tifa gave him outside of the house. He supposed he earned it, but could Tifa blame him for his concern?

He noticed she was sitting on the edge of the wagon, her back to him. She was completely ignoring him. So, he thought, she would blame him. He wasn't sorry for trying to keep her safe against her wishes, either.

His head continued to have a dull ache, but he decided to take stock of his environment. Dilys was watching him with worry in her eyes, Vincent was surprisingly the cart driver with Corent next to him, and he noticed both Nanakis and the cubs trotting behind the cart without breaking a sweat. It wasn't going particularly fast, but faster than they would be without it.

He noticed Yuffie was talking to Vesta and the cubs about something, and he pursed his lips as he noticed her footwork. Of course she would start teaching them how to keep their footfalls quiet. She had taught Denzel and Marlene the very same thing, why not his other descendants? Cloud let out a tired sigh before scooting to the edge of the wagon and dangling his feet off of it, just like Tifa.

She tensed as he settled next to her, and Cloud couldn't help but eye her belly, despite being covered in Aruni's traditional clothing. Tifa noticed, then shifted to where he couldn't see any of her front. He tensed his jaw and looked at the scenery instead.

They were on a dirt path that could barely be considered a road, grass growing shortly in between two packed earth trails on the ground. The grass beyond the path was long and had dragonflies darting around the tips as they hunted. On either side beyond the grass were trees, thick and tall with a canopy that didn't quite block out the sun over their position.

The air was growing warmer, and humid.

"Hey, Spike. Have a good nap?" Yuffie was bringing Vesta into the wagon.

He grunted an answer, not wanting to speak. His cheeks burned.

"That's good, I was hopin' Tifa's haymaker or whatever kinda punch it was didn't rattle your brain too much."

Cloud sneered at her, then looked away. He didn't want his botched plan rubbed into his face. His ego was as bruised as his forehead. Yuffie cackled a little, then began talking about something inane to young Nanaki. Cloud let out a short little huff and stewed over Minerva to get his mind off of the possibility that he had ruined his relationship with Tifa, not that he wasn't good at screwing up or anything.

Minerva would drag whoever needed to be dragged into this mess with no regards to their futures, as long as it meant this future continued on. He knew that the Planet operated in such a way that an individual life would be meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but Cloud would love for a bone to be thrown his way, or maybe some reward for going through the trouble. On second thought, he reasoned, a reward from the Planet could be a very double edged sword. It didn't think like a mortal being did.

Obviously saving it once meant nothing to it anyway, except as potential to help it again. Minerva said she was sorry? He doubted it was anything more than politeness. How could she be truly sorry for anything? Cloud took a quick peek at Tifa again. She was talking to Dilys and pointing at her fist.

"Cloud?"

He turned his head the other way, where Vesta was looking at him with a curious gaze. He did his best to smile at her, then picked her up and placed her on his lap to watch the path slowly disappear behind the bend. "First time out of Aruni?"

Vesta nodded. "Well, I got to see your burial mound, but that's as far as I've gone."

"Oh." The thought of it still creeped him out. "I guess you'll get to see a lot more than that, now."

"Yeah. I'm really glad I'll get to see the world, Cloud." She moved her head to look up at him as he looked down. "I know you're scared, but Elder...Tifa, said we can handle anything that comes our way."

He slowly blinked as he pursed his lips, then sighed. "Right."

Cloud took in another good look at her, then stared back into the forest as his mind went a mile a minute. His ears caught the murmurs of both Nanaki's talking, and he tuned into it as he closed his eyes.

"It was foolish to bring the little girl with us," Elder Nanaki grumbled. "The cubs already enjoy her company."

Young Nanaki tilted his head in his older self's direction. "So? It's good for them. They won't look down their noses at humans like I...uh, we did."

"They will know loss too soon. She will be elderly when they are adolescents."

Young Nanaki tightened his jaw and let out a huff. "I know. I said I would deal with it when the time comes."

"There is nothing like that loss. These cubs will travel with Vesta, just like we traveled with them." Elder Nanaki pointed his nose towards Cloud and Tifa, the former holding Vesta with his eyes closed and the latter showing Dilys how she threw a punch. Both Nanakis could tell she was still angry by her posture, but as always she masked it with a smile. The cubs were trying to chase the cart while still staying relatively near their grandfathers.

Young Nanaki looked at his friends, then at his older self with a suspicious stare. "So you regret ever meeting them. Is that it?"

"No, that's not what I—"

"I am Nanaki, son of Seto. I will not be afraid of loss." Young Nanaki closed his eye as he drew in a breath through his nose, then opened his eye again. "To grow so wary of new friendships..."

"Live it," Elder Nanaki suggested sharply. "I never...I never once regretted knowing them."

"Did you regret letting them be a part of your family?"

Elder Nanaki winced at the accusation. A part of him did regret it, and it stabbed him in the chest to admit it, even only in his thoughts. It was so cowardly, he knew. But the weight of centuries and the emptiness left behind from people he wished could be there with him clawed at his heart every time he met with Vincent, everytime something would remind him of them.

"Gawd, Red." Elder Nanaki let out a surprised yelp as Yuffie sneaked up on him. She was giving him a judgemental glare, having obviously eavesdropped on their conversation. "You regret me, the White Rose of Wutai?"

"N-no! I don't think you understand the complexity of the situation, Yuffie." He furrowed his brow and looked between Yuffie and Young Nanaki.

She rolled her eyes, then flicked his ear. It wasn't as hard as he remembered in days past, more like a swat at a bad cub's behind in smartness. Still, he winced. "I know you live way too freaking long. But you keep forgetting something really important."

"And what's that?"

"That we'll meet someday again. Y'know, you live in Cosmo Canyon. You should know that we'll be together again, all of us. Maybe even Vinny, when he gets bored with watching the world pass him by." Her scornful face turned into a meaningful smile.

Young Nanaki nodded. "We'll meet again, in our Promised Land."

Elder Nanaki looked away. It was such a long time to be reunited. But, wasn't he reunited right now? Maybe not with everyone, but it was still a precious thing in his older years. To see and smell them again was a great joy to him. "Our Promised Land..."

"Well, if we kill Jenova for the last freakin' time," Yuffie drawled out. "If we don't then maybe she'll eat our souls or whatever it is she's supposed to do."

"We got her and Sephiroth once, just Jenova should be nothing to us," Young Nanaki replied with a haughty tone and a grin. "And then we'll save our future from short-sightedness that plagues the Planet just as much as it does humans."

Elder Nanaki said nothing back, but he pondered their discussion. He could admit he forgot about that, about their fated reunion someday in the Lifestream. After so long, why wouldn't the promise fade in his long memories? He looked their way, watching as Yuffie sat her rump upon his younger self with that air of royal pomp her descendants kept, then looked at Cloud and Tifa's descendants and how even they kept some ancient qualities of their ancestors. They always met again in some way, but someday it would be spirit to spirit. That, he would try and remember from now on.

* * *

"Daddy!"

Barret wrapped a big arm around Marlene and scooped her up. "Hey, Marlene!" He put her down after a few moments, then put his good hand on Denzel's shoulder. "Hey, Denzel. You doin' a good job, keepin' Marlene safe last night."

Denzel nodded at the praise, then moved some of his wavy brown hair out of his eyes. "Did you hear anything back?"

Barret's expression became glum. "Naw. Vincent's on his way here, and Cid said he'd show up too."

"We should go looking for them!" Marlene said. "They could be hurt!"

"I'm gonna stay here with you two, baby girl. But don't worry, Cait Sith is lookin' around Edge for 'em right now."

"Oh. He's gonna check the church first, right?" Denzel knew that was a place Cloud liked to visit.

Barret gave a firm nod. "Yeh, that's the first place he's gonna look at."

"What if they're not there?" Marlene asked.

"I dunno. We'll think of somethin'." The large man looked about the bar, then pointed at the stove. "You guys hungry? I'm gonna make us some pancakes, alright?"

Marlene bounced. "I'll help!"

"Yeah, me too," Denzel said. Anything to keep away the nagging doubt in his head that wouldn't go away. No matter how much he focused on making breakfast with the other two, it wouldn't quite go away. But now their family friends were coming to search, and for better or worse they would hopefully get answers.


	14. Chrono Cross

**A/N: Thanks to Kelleyj17 for her beta! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

The world was dying around them as they held their last stand in her old church. No matter how hard they tried, they could never stamp out the dark influence oozing through the Planet, slowly killing off those who lived on the surface and adding to the corruption within upon death. They had tried to get an answer from the Planet, but he would interfere with communication.

It hadn't always been like that. After Sephiroth had been defeated, Aerith had been able to freely communicate with the Lifestream, helping create a farming region beyond the newly created city of Edge. The future held promise, until the day people and animals began to show symptoms of a strange and deadly illness called Geostigma. Geostigma, because the people insisted it was punishment from the Planet, no matter how much Aerith protested that it wasn't the case.

And as things died, her ability to communicate with the Planet weakened.

Edge was a city full of pus covered corpses, and the last bit of genuine voice from the Planet called Aerith to her church. The flowers still grew here, and she knelt down in the middle of the patch, Zack watching the spacious room for any danger as black Lifestream slowly swirled outside the broken stone walls. He wasn't one to give up hope, but he was feeling like perhaps today might be the day he finally lost it all.

Did they finally win, after all he and his friends went through, after all they had lost? It was just the two of them now. The others had either died or were also having their last stands in places around the world. He took a quick peek at Aerith from behind his back. She was praying, wearing that small brown leather jacket he bought her over an earthy green dress, her wavy brown hair cascading over her back. Her long brown boots peeked out from the flowers.

"Man, who'da thunk we'd have to fight in our special meeting place?" Zack mused to himself. He didn't expect an answer back as the last Cetra focused on the Planet and whatever last threads of pure Lifestream were left.

Aerith continued to pray, using her white materia as a focus to break through the rot and stagnation marring her communication with the Planet. Her consciousness weaved downward, looking for for her, Minerva. The goddess that challenged Zack years ago, the will of the Lifestream.

The Cetra felt herself come across what she interpreted as a seed of light in a space full of darkness. In her mind her hand came out to gently grasp it; was it this that would save the world, and finally allow her to salvage what she could on the surface?

You two have been chosen.

"Chosen? for what?"

Zack turned again to look at Aerith. "Huh?"

He looked up as black Lifesteam burst through the roof of the church, and malevolent voices began a chorus of whispers as it began to flood the sacred space. A humanoid shape with venom green eyes, shorter than Zack, began to form out of it; he readied the Buster Sword as he flashed a defiant glare at the entity. "Over my dead body you get to her!"

"...Alright." The shadow pulled two swords out of the darkness, and it lunged at the former Soldier.

Zack blocked the attack, then the next. He used the flat end of the Buster Sword to swat the shadow of the man he used to know into a supporting pillar, then dodged a tentacle of black Lifestream that was aimed at his chest. His opponent quickly recovered and began to approach Aerith as the rotted Lifestream distracted Zack.

The ex-Soldier finally took notice, then charged his opponent. He twisted about and shielded Aerith as she continued to commune with what was left of the Planet, his steel toe boots planted firmly in the flower bed as the full force of the shadow bore on the Buster Sword. Every time he came back, he was stronger, Zack lamented in his mind.

It was right after that that the ground shook violently, surprising Cetra, man and shadow. Zack and Aerith tried to hold steady as the stone pillars of the church began to crack and fall, and then they disappeared into the sinkhole that suddenly formed under them. They began tumbling through the darkness, and Zack caught and held Aerith, hoping his body could break her fall. The shadow man peeked from the hole above them, then melted away as more black Lifestream swirled into the church.

It was rapidly falling away.

At one point they both wondered when they would hit the bottom and finally die, and then they felt water rush about them. Their vision changed from darkness to light, and then they were standing right outside a bubbling pool surrounded by familiar yellow and white flowers. The air was humid but fresh and clean, and there was a chorus of animal life chirping and buzzing in their ears.

Zack slowly, cautiously let go of Aerith, but stayed next to her. He glanced at the muddy ground and found his sword, which he quickly picked up. He began to wipe away the mud, and felt a strange tingle from it. Disregarding it, he placed the Buster Sword in its magnetic harness on his back. "So..."

"I have no idea," she replied. "Minerva just said we were chosen, that was all."

"Oh." Zack took a deep breath through his nose. "She didn't say for what?"

Aerith shook her head. "No...Maybe we were chosen for a better afterlife than what everyone else got," she mused facetiously.

"Heh." Zack looked around again, then thumped his chest lightly. "I feel pretty alive, don't you?"

"Mhm."

The ex-Soldier looked towards the sky and noticed that there was something huge and manmade, covered in flora. "What is that? It looks like some ruins!"

"Huh?" Aerith looked the way he pointed, and she frowned. In the distance was some giant, rusted thing that looked eerily like the base support pillar for Midgar. "I don't know...We should probably get somewhere away from this place, though." She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to listen for...something, anything. A whisper came to her ear, telling her which direction to go. She pointed into the forest, away from what looked like a footpath. "We should go this way."

"You're the Cetra!" Zack walked side by side with her, letting her find whatever it was they were to find.

* * *

"We can set up camp here," Vincent said as he stopped the wagon for the evening. The group had finally come to the other side of the forest, and then tomorrow they would pass by a handful of villages before finally making it to Junon. "It should be relatively safe."

They were on a grassy knoll, forest on one side, more grass on the other, the Midgar Mountains to the south and the ocean far in the distance to the north. The sun was touching the distant tip of the Shinra tower. It was beautiful and reminiscent to those who had traveled together once before.

Vincent, Corent and Dilys began to work on the tents as Yuffie and Young Nanaki went to collect some firewood. Elder Nanaki took the cubs to the north for reasons unknown, but no one asked; they would be back regardless. Cloud, wanting to do something, began to clear away a space for a fire pit. Tifa and Vesta discussed what they would cook and how much. They had brought plenty of rice and root vegetables, and some salted fish.

"D'you think we could use some o' th' fish now?" Corent rubbed the back of his spiky haired head. "All that travellin's got me hungry!"

"You sat with Elder Vincent up front!" Dilys protested. "And don't say you made a tent, that wasn't that hard."

"You're always such a shark about food!"

Cloud overheard and stood from the finished pit, his black gloves caked in dry dirt that he patted away. "You want meat, huh?" Corent looked at him, then nodded. "Then we're gonna go get meat."

"Eh? I-I've never hunted, though."

Cloud shrugged. "We don't have time to catch a deer, so we'll let a monster come to us."

Dilys balked at the idea. "A...a monster? You want us to eat a monster?"

"There are Couerls and the rare Behemoth," Vincent said. "Both should be fine to eat."

"With the right spices," Tifa murmured. Still, the thought of getting some meat, even monster meat, sat well with her. She began to rummage through the small packets of seasoning Vincent had acquired.

"R-really?" Vesta looked at Tifa, then Vincent, then Cloud. Were the adults really going to catch and eat a monster?

Cloud took the Fusion Sword out of the wagon, then disassembled it into two blades, one larger than the other. He pointed one in the direction of the grassy knolls. "Get your spear, Corent. We're gonna catch a monster."

Tifa watched as the two walked off from camp, and she knew one monster was going to turn into a pile of monsters. Cloud was frustrated, and when that happened something would have to pay the price to calm him down. He wasn't the violent boy from her childhood anymore, but that issue of his had matured into this. Monster killing was his outlet.

He had brought it on himself. She was still miffed he had dared to attempt to sleep her and make her stay behind like a weak little housewife, tending to children. Maybe she was going to tend to a baby in some short months, but it didn't mean she wasn't capable. She understood he was afraid, but he had to let some things not be under his control.

Not that things weren't out of any of their control right now.

Tifa let out a sigh and took the wooden bucket that hung from the side of the wagon. They would need water for the rice, and water to clean up. There was a brook below them and near the forest that would do as a water source, and she headed that way as the others finished pitching up the tents. Tifa turned her head slowly before leaving the camp. "Cloud and Corent might be a while. I think we can start off with some tea."

* * *

Slogging through the underbrush of the forest for hours was tedious, but a refreshing difference from what they had left behind. It was all so curious to the two; where had they ended up, and why? Were any surviving friends here, too? They hoped so.

They had taken several breaks during their hike, and they would just quietly ponder while sitting on a large tree root or log while swatting a bug here and there. What little sunlight filtered down from the canopy was beginning to fade, and Zack's indigo eyes began to softly glow as the forest dimmed.

Zack began to fan his black turtleneck sweater, blessing his lucky stars it had no sleeves. At least his blue jeans breathed in the humidity. "Y'sure we're not lost?"

Aerith playfully punched his arm and chuckled. "I'm a Cetra, I know exactly where we're going!"

After their last break the forest seemed to ease up a little, and nighttime was beginning to creep up on them. Out in the distance they made out a glowing blob that looked a lot like a campfire. Taking a look at each other, they walked towards it cautiously, hiding behind some trees to see who was there.

Zack peeked from behind his hiding place, finding a group of friendly looking strangers. He counted six, and with a frown recognized four of them. One of them he knew was dead for certain, he had been there. He strained his ears to hear their voices, but he wasn't close enough to make out what they were saying. He looked back at Aerith, who looked as shocked as he was. "Maybe we are dead," he whispered back.

She bit her lip as she looked back at the group that was oblivious to the duo watching from the forest. After a moment of silent deliberation, Aerith marched through the last bit of woods and through the grass towards the campfire, a wary hope growing in her heart. The group stopped talking as they noticed the two entering the light of the fire, and four of those people recognized her, but only one seemed to know Zack's face.

Tifa.

"T-Tifa? Tifa, is that you?" Aerith whispered from the other side of the fire, wanting to get straight to the point. She watched as the dark haired woman shakily stood up and came to her, her hand outstretched towards the Cetra's cheek as she held a dumbfounded expression.

The woman's hand cautiously touched Aerith's cheek, her breath quickening as she looked her up and down with familiar ruby eyes. "Aerith..." she breathed. "You...Aerith, you're alive!"

"I think that's our line, Tifa." Zack stood to Aerith's side with a smug, warm smile.

Tifa gawked at him. "Y-you too? Oh, my God. Cloud—"

"Aerith!" Yuffie pounced on her, then Nanaki began to rub his side on her leg. Vincent had stood up to stand next to Tifa, blinking in a way that revealed how floored he was to see her.

"Oh, Aerith. It's so wonderful to see you again," Nanaki purred to her.

Zack's smile turned into a pout. "Hey, what about me?!"

"Sorry." Tifa tried to get everyone's attention. "Everyone, this is Zack." She looked at the two strangers, who were watching quietly. "Dilys, Vesta, this is Aerith."

The two mumbled greetings, still looking wary and more than a little confused.

"Oh. You're Zack, huh?" Yuffie gave him a once over after releasing Aerith from her grip. Nanaki was cautiously catching his scent, then looked up at him with a cocked head.

He frowned. "Don't you remember me?"

"Uh, no? I've never met you before."

Aerith shook her head. "What? You traveled with us, remember? You ended up stealing all of our materia when we took your advice to go to Wutai."

Tifa stared at him, then Aerith. "We traveled with you, not Zack. Zack was dead."

"I'm not dead! At least I don't think I am." He scratched at the scar on his jaw. "But you...you should be dead."

Tifa pointed at Aerith. "No, she...died. I was there when it happened, in the Forgotten Capital. Sephiroth..."

"You shoved me out of the way, Tifa." Aerith tilted her head to the side a little in bewilderment as the two tales did not add up. "Sephiroth—"

"Hey, we're back!"

Aerith and Zack looked towards the strongly accented voice, and a man that held a semblance to Zack walked into camp with a confident, satisfied smile. He was dragging the gutted corpse of an adolescent Behemoth behind him. They noticed a pair of glowing blue eyes lazily following him, then froze as the man who it belonged to was revealed fully by the light.

Spiky blond hair, short and skinny body, an angular face set with sapphire eyes that neither of them would ever forget. The only thing different was the black clothing he was wearing and the scruff growing on his jaw and neck. He was staring back at them with a shocked face, almost childlike in the awe that was growing on it. "Z-Zack? Aerith?"

He took a step towards them but stopped as the Buster Sword nearly sliced his throat, if not for his quick reflexes. He blocked the sword's trajectory with his own. His blue eyes went wide, and Zack's narrowed. "What are you doing here?!"

"Uh..."

Tifa put her hand on the sword and tsked. "What are you doing?!"

"He's the one that killed you!"

Cloud flinched. "Killed Tifa...?" He shook his head. "I wouldn't do that!"

Aerith looked at Tifa with a pained expression. "You shoved me out of the way, and he just...He almost sliced you in two, Tifa."

"He's been a trickster ever since Hojo got ahold of him. Then he began grovellin' at Sephiroth's feet." Zack kept his blade steady, and eyed the sword his opponent was using to shield him from justice. "What kinda sword is that?" he whispered to himself.

Cloud looked him in the eyes. "I-I had it forged to look like the Buster Sword...You said I was your living legacy, so—"

"There is no way I would ever call you my living legacy."

The blond sucked in a breath, as if the Buster Sword had stabbed him in the chest. Pain welled in his eyes, but he kept his face stoic. "Oh."

With that Cloud turned around and walked off into the darkness, leaving an uncomfortable silence in his wake. Tifa looked like she was about to scream and Yuffie was groaning as she slumped to the ground. Zack slowly withdrew his sword, but continued to stare past the flames and at the back of the monster that helped bring about the end of the world.


	15. The Other Reality

**A/N: Big honkin' chapter! Thanks to Kelleyj17 for the beta and her advice!**

* * *

"Tifa, you don't understand, he's just as rotten as Sephiroth!"

Tifa was holding her head in her hand, as if a huge headache was coming on. "Cloud idolizes you!" she countered while dropping her hand. "You died outside of Midgar after dragging him halfway across the world while he was suffering from mako poisoning. He said you gave him the Buster Sword before you succumbed to your wounds."

"To him? I'd give the Buster Sword to Yuffie before I ever did that!" Zack was frowning, and he crossed his arms and looked down at the campfire. "I don't understand what's happening. You're alive, and defending Cloud...And what's this about mako poisoning?"

Vincent nodded, his face full of confusion as ever. "I am not sure what is happening either. You seem to know me, but I don't know you."

"We weren't like best buds or anything, but man..."

Aerith was wearing an anxious expression on her face as Tifa looked back the way Cloud went. "Tifa, I...Can you tell me what you remember?"

Tifa licked her lips and glanced at the darkness, a terrible guilt welling in her gut. She felt that perhaps she had been a little too stern. She felt she should have called it even with the punch to the head. "Maybe later. I have to go find Cloud."

Yuffie put a hand on Tifa's shoulder, and she turned to look at the ninja. "Nah, let him cool off. Me and Red can go search for the pain in the ass later."

Tifa shook her head. "No, I have to go help him!"

"Really, you think he needs to talk to either of you two boobs?" When she was given a glare by the pugilist, Yuffie scoffed before continuing. "I know this guy over here may as well have crushed his balls, and you're preggers, so it's best you save your strength for when we need ya. I don't care how strong you are, you're takin' it easy. So, we'll go talk to him." She pointed at Zack and Aerith. "After we hear them out."

The two balked at Tifa. "Wait, you're pregnant?" Aerith was wringing her hands softly.

Tifa sat down again, unease growing in her gut. "Cloud and me are together..." She played with a strand of hair.

The two looked even more shocked. "You're...pregnant, with Cloud's baby."

Tifa lowered her brow. "Yes, with him."

"What the hell is going on here?" Zack plopped down next to the campfire and laid his sword next to him. Aerith curled up next to him as Yuffie and Nanaki sat between Tifa and Zack. "I know you had feelings for Cloud, and I know he had feelings for you, too, but..."

Tifa closed her eyes and sighed, listening to her three descendants mumble as they began cutting up the Behemoth. She was glad they could tell they needed their space right now. "Whatever Cloud you met isn't this Cloud. This Cloud looks up to you."

"For real?"

Tifa opened her eyes. "Yes. You saved his life at the expense of your own. Tell me what happened to you two, and then I'll tell you what I remember."

Aerith nodded while taking a deep breath through her nose. "Alright."

The two began their story. The Nibelheim Incident was completely the same. Hojo experimenting on Cloud and Zack, while Tifa escaped was the same. It began to change during the escape from the mansion. Zack had woken up alone, and escaped alone, thinking Cloud had died after stopping Sephiroth.

"When I came to it was just me and some scientist I knocked out. I put on some clothing and found the Buster Sword, and snuck outta Nibelheim." Zack made a contemplative face as he looked at the fire. "When I got far enough from Nibelheim, everything sort of caught up with me. I mean, I didn't know I had been stuffed down there for four years until a Turk that had been tailing me finally told me what year it was."

Tifa slowly nodded. "And there was no trace of Cloud at all?"

Zack shook his head. "No. The vat next to me was empty, and I mean—I didn't have a chance to check the town. Shinra was already after me." He rubbed his hands together. "Anyway, I made it to Midgar after a few pit stops, nothin' major. Just took me a while to get there. I fell asleep in Aerith's church, and she found me the next morning."

Aerith rubbed some of her stray bangs absentmindedly. "It was a relief to see him, really. I thought that maybe he had just run off after almost five years. Well, we found each other again, like it was fate."

A cautious smile came to her face. "It was so good to see him again. We didn't have much time to be alone, though. Tseng came to the church two days later, and he promised to keep Zack's whereabouts secret. The Turks were in a bit of hot water over something, anyway."

"Yeah! They were in the middle of some Shinra drama."

Yuffie raised a brow. "What kinda drama?"

Zack shrugged. "I dunno, probably nothin' too important. But it did help when I met Tifa again." He looked over at her again. "I came over to Seventh Heaven after I finished a job in Sector Seven. Heard it was a good place to take a load off."

"You met me on a lark," Tifa responded quietly.

He nodded back. "Yep. Like, at first you really didn't like the thought of a Soldier enterin' your bar, and Barret really didn't like it. But we recognized each other after I came closer to the bar. You asked me a lot of questions I didn't have answers to.

"Nibelheim, Sephiroth. Cloud. I just didn't know, or remember. I came back regularly. Eventually you mentioned Avalanche, and I mentioned that I was buddy buddy with the Turks."

"I bet Barret liked that," Tifa mused.

"Gawd, how did that hothead not blow your brains out?" Yuffie leaned onto Young Nanaki as he listened intently.

Zack snorted with amusement. "Man, he almost did! I had to tell him real quick that they weren't on President Shinra's good side at all. Well, after a tense couple of months we got a coup going."

Young Nanaki cocked his head. "A coup? How did you convince the Turks to join in on a coup?"

The ex-Soldier thumped his chest with a smug grin. "Hey, I can be convincing! Especially after everything that happened, the Turks' loyalty to Shinra was super low. Reno drove Barret crazy with his snark. But really, they got along really well afterwards."

"...Interesting," Tifa replied flatly. She swallowed despite her dry mouth. Barret, Cloud and she were still bitter towards Reno over the Sector Seven plate collapse, something that Zack seemed to have no memory of.

"We were pretty successful," Zack admitted.

Aerith rolled her eyes. "We ended up killing President Shinra after he sent some guard robots after us. Barret got him." She inhaled deeply, then blew the air out and towards her bangs. "Rufus made an appearance a few minutes after we began celebrating. He offered us positions as his new lackeys, and we refused. Why would we do that? We thought we had the tower under control, but it seemed Rufus had been working on his own coup, too."

"Yeah, guy had some of Scarlet's new robotic security detain us all and stuff us in the cells they have on the lab level. Man, I thought we were gonna be worse than dead for sure!"

"But Jenova went on a rampage," Tifa nearly whispered.

Zack nodded stoutly. "Yeah! Guess your memory is gettin' jogged a bit, huh? Well, our cells were unlocked and we followed the blood trail to the President's Suite. Rufus was sitting there with Masamune sticking out of his back."

Nanaki pulled his ears back and frowned. "Wait, you never rescued me?"

Zack waved his hands in front of him quickly. "Of course we did! Reno told us about you. He didn't feel like it was right to keep ya down there and liquidated with the experiments in the labs."

At that moment Elder Nanaki came into the camp, holding a very puzzled expression on his face that was matched by Zack and Aerith. They were introduced, and the cubs naturally had a lot of questions that they wanted answered. Elder Nanaki hushed them, and asked that their tale be continued as he sat down near Vincent.

"Uh...Right. So we left the Turks in charge, and Reeve too when we figured out he wasn't so bad. He never really fit in with the other board members."

Tifa had to agree. "That's true. He was their black sheep."

"Yeah." Zack chuckled softly before returning to a more serious expression. "I knew Sephiroth was on the loose, and he wasn't up to anything good. Not after what he said in Nibelheim. I...was hoping that maybe, I could save him still."

Aerith continued for him. "He thought Nibelheim would be a good place to find clues. You insisted on going, Tifa, and so we left Marlene with my mother."

"We journeyed by land and sea. Yuffie joined us in Junon...To this day I have no idea how she got ahold of my cellphone number. When we got to Nibelheim, you looked like you were ready to freak out. I mean I understood why, the town was burnt to the ground, and Shinra just rebuilt it. I really didn't let that soak in until I visited again…" Zack shook his head. "There were all these people in black cloaks loafing around, too. Cloud was waiting by the water tower in the middle of town, and y'know, I was really happy to see him!

"He wasn't dead like I thought. But, something felt off about him. Maybe it was the weird, tight black suit he was wearing under a traveler's cloak, or the look in his eyes. Well, both that and just...He felt wrong." Zack blew out a sigh. "When you looked at him from the side of your eye, it almost looked like he was twitching. And he was kinda standoffish. I wondered if he was blaming me at all for what had happened to Nibelheim."

"But he liked you, Tifa." Aerith glanced her fingers on her cheek. "After he told Zack some things he gravitated towards you. You looked so happy to see him…" She looked down. "He gave you a little locket he said he had kept with him since before he left Midgar, and the look on his face when you told him you didn't care that he hadn't made it into Soldier…" She looked away.

Tifa felt somber at those words. "I see."

"I saw him later on, when Zack was trying to convince Vincent to join us. He was doing something in the rooms past the hall in the basement of the Shinra Mansion. Sometime during the night, Cloud left, and so did the people wearing the black cloaks."

"We tried looking for him, but he disappeared. So we focused on other things, like what Cloud told me about Sephiroth, about where he might be. We found a bunch of crazy powerful monsters that we somehow won against. Got some really neat materia from it, at least."

Zack rubbed his belly when it grumbled in protest, demanding food. "Tseng got a hold of us after a while and said he found some of Hojo's science experiments heading to the Temple of the Ancients. He convinced Cid to join us and pilot the Tiny Bronco for us since the island was too dangerous to land an airship on."

"I was looking forward to it," Aerith explained. "I learned a little bit about my heritage during our travels, and...I wanted to know more. But, we never got a chance to explore the insides." She paused and licked her lips. "Cloud was there."

"Man, he felt off in Nibelheim, but it was even worse at the temple. His eyes were like Sephiroth's and he had two weird, black metal swords. Cloud started goin' on about Sephiroth and how he was gonna recreate the world, and he would be his right hand man." Zack rubbed the back of his head. "Well, Tifa, you started talking to him. You got through to him a little, and Cloud told us what Sephiroth was planning to do; he was gonna use the Black Materia to summon Meteor, then become a god when he merged with the Lifestream as it came to heal the wound.

"He begged us to kill him. I don't think any of us had it in us to do that, but looking back, that was probably the biggest mistake I've ever made." He looked down. "If I had done it, maybe things would have turned out different. Better."

"When the temple collapsed, he screamed and sprouted a big, black wing. He snatched up the Black Materia and flew away, towards the North Continent." Aerith sighed through her nose. "You looked so devastated, Tifa. But you still thought Cloud could be saved. And I knew what I had to do, too. I had to summon Holy. The Planet called me to the Forgotten Capital, and we flew there on the Highwind.

"The others wanted to rest, but...I couldn't. The Planet was calling me to a temple under the city. So I sneaked out, and went to pray alone. When Zack, Tifa and Nanaki found me, my prayer had already gone through."

Zack nodded grimly. "You were smiling at us. I...was distracted by everything happening. But Tifa, you knew he was there. You shoved Aerith out of the way, right before Cloud came down to kill her."

He was quiet for a minute. Everyone around the campfire was tense. "Cloud cut through you like you were nothing. But when he realized he hurt you, he picked you up by your shoulders and held you. And you said, 'You forgot your promise again, didn't you?'"

"Cloud snapped after that," Aerith said. "We fought him and he flew off after a few minutes. After everything, we let you rest in the lake with a memento of Cloud."

"What was it?" Tifa asked in a quiet and restrained voice.

"The heart shaped silver locket he gave you. We never opened it up, so we don't know what was in it." Aerith shrugged helplessly, and scooted closer to Zack for more warmth. "We followed Cloud to the North Crater, using the Highwind to get there quickly. We watched as the Black Cloaks were taken by Jenova, right before we found Sephiroth's resting place.

"When we entered the crater Cloud was ready to give the Black Materia to Sephiroth in his materia cocoon. But Barret ran over and let his gun arm loose on Cloud's arm."

Zack held the Cetra close. "He lost the Black Materia. Man, he wasn't happy about that. We fought him, and then Jenova joined the party." He made a face full of disgust. "He merged with Jenova's body when he was losing. Said he belonged with 'mother'."

He looked up towards the top of the flames as they licked the night air. "Then, after we fought that thing off, Sephiroth plopped into it! The fight had been absolutely crazy. It was so bad that after we finished it off, we had to flee before the Weapons destroyed the crater." He shook his head and looked back at Tifa. "We never had a chance to destroy what was left of that...thing."

Aerith nodded solemnly. "We had to defeat the Weapons. I couldn't make them stop on my own, so...We had to fight them. Junon wasn't too hard, since the Sister Ray was still working. Stopping the others was harder. Diamond Weapon did a lot of damage to Midgar before we stopped it."

"Mhm. But then Holy came, and it destroyed Midgar. We had the city mostly evacuated to the slums with the Turks and Reeve's help, so the casualties weren't as bad as they could have been." Zack's fingers drummed on his knee. "After that, we thought it was all over. A city grew outside of Midgar, and Aerith was making the wastes grow green.

"Shinra started looking for different ways to power civilization. Things were finally looking up, y'know? But then rumors started cropping up, of a mysterious man with spiky blond hair that brought a sickness with him wherever he went." His jaw tensed. "I knew it was him, Cloud. Somehow he survived. Or maybe it was Jenova using his image, I don't know."

"Cloud brought illness with him…?" Vincent tilted his head. "It wasn't Geostigma, was it?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah. I actually saw him once, when I was visiting Kalm. He looked like absolutely nothing had happened to him." His eyes scanned the area Cloud had disappeared into earlier. "His eyes were full of hate, though. Said he was spreading Jenova's final gift before fading into the night."

"I saw him, too." Aerith's face looked pained. "He looked horrible, like he was slowly being consumed by shadows. Then, Geostigma hit Edge."

"I watched children die because of him. Marlene..." Zack shook his head. "She was a little trooper."

Aerith nodded. "At that time, I don't know if anything of him was left, or if he was an amalgamation of the three in the crater. He never mentioned Sephiroth again, so who knows?"

Tifa was floored by the long story. In their dimension, Cloud had been the one they had to chase. "What happened to Hojo?" she asked quietly.

"Well, he got on Tseng's last nerve, talkin' about his Reunion experiment and rambling on about Jenova while we were fighting in the crater. So...Well, you know how Turks can be." Zack scratched the back of his head, then put his hand back on his knee. "So, what do you remember?"

Tifa pursed her lips before she began to make some wood skewers with the chunks of spiced Behemoth meat piled on the hide. Rice was cooking in the pot as Vesta kept a keen eye on it. Yuffie mumbled something along the lines of how far out the story was since she was barely mentioned at all. "I think we might not know you, either."

Aerith's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"I think she means that you aren't the Aerith we knew," Vincent mused. "I'm hesitant to say you are from another past, but..."

"Eh?" Zack was frowning at him. "Another past?"

"It is roughly five hundred years into the future, since Meteorfall," Elder Nanaki said. "You did not have a Meteorfall, so I suppose it would be since Holy erupted."

"But how did we end up in another future?" Aerith was wringing her hands. "I heard Minerva call out to me, but how did she...?"

"She's been pretty active lately," Tifa said before sharply letting out her breath. "Now, I'll tell you what happened to us." She began to speak of their journey while roasting the meat over the fire. An ache in her heart began for how he must feel after the man he had looked up to for so long figuratively spat in his face.

* * *

Yuffie walked away from the campfire and into the night as Nanaki followed at her heels while sniffing for Cloud's scent trail. After a while he stopped sniffing for his friend as monster corpse after monster corpse created a trail. A Coeurl here, two Behemoths there, something neither of them could identify because it had been completely mutilated, laying scattered in the field.

The two eventually found him near a small knoll, a sword in each hand and a large corpse in front of him. He was wiping the metal off on the hide. His bright blue eyes found his friends as his head turned to see who was coming, and his face softened just a little. His pain was visible in what little light was afforded by the stars and moon.

Yuffie waved a hand in greeting. "There you are! Spike, you shouldn't run off like that. I'm freakin' exhausted, and you have me looking around for you in the dark!"

Nanaki swished and then softly flicked his tail. "Not everything is as it seems," he said gently.

Cloud cocked his head a little in question after putting his blade together and sheathing it on his back. "What do you mean?"

"They're not from our past," Yuffie drawled out.

"Please tell me you're kidding." He had been hoping that they were perhaps brought back from the Lifestream, or taken right before they died. But, it would explain the hostile greeting.

"She isn't," Nanaki replied. "They are from another reality. One where you had done some less than noble deeds."

Cloud let in a deep breath of air through his nose. "I...see."

"Yeah, Tifa had to put 'em in line."

He raised a brow. "...She did?"

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Omigawd, Spike. Just 'cause she's pissed at you doesn't mean she isn't gonna go to bat for you. You're her pain in the ass, remember?" She beckoned with a hand to follow her. "C'mon, let's get back to camp and eat dinner."

He shook his head. "I don't know if I should go back."

"Not go back...?" Yuffie stomped her foot on the grass. "You aren't runnin' away again!"

Cloud frowned at her. "I'm not running away! I-I just don't think they want me around."

"So what? They'll have to get over the fact that you're part of the team!"

"She's right," Nanaki began. "You're our fearless leader." A wry smile crossed his muzzle.

The blond chuckled dryly at that. "I...Thank you. I just don't wanna cause Aerith and Zack undue stress, so maybe I can just...sleep out here."

Yuffie let out a groan. "Are you serious? Gawd!"

"Hey!"

They all turned to see Zack jogging up to them, his indigo eyes as bright as Cloud's in the twilight. Cloud stiffened at his approach, looking like a beat puppy. The ex-Soldier waved at the three. "I thought I'd join you."

Cloud's eyes darted about, unsure what this alternate Zack wanted with him. "Uh..."

"Can I talk to 'em alone?" Zack asked of Yuffie and Nanaki. "We'll be back in time for supper."

Yuffie's brow came up, a critical glare coming from her face as she mulled over his request. She came up close to him. "Don't you dare hurt him again," she whispered.

He shook his head. "I won't."

She stood there a few moments still, then shrugged nonchalantly. "C'mon Red, let's get some grub before everyone eats it."

"Hm. That Behemoth will barely feed us all," Nanaki mused as he began to trot towards camp.

Yuffie trailed behind him and waved with her back to the two men. "We'll try'n save ya some food, no promises, though!"

"Aww, save us just a little bit! I haven't had a good meal in days!" Zack called back with a faint grin. His stomach grumbled and he remembered that he really hadn't eaten very well in a good long while. The smell of Tifa's cooking was hard to get away from, but he knew he had to talk to Cloud. He turned to him, his face a bit more serious. "So..."

"Huh?" Cloud looked distracted, afraid.

Zack waved his hands in front of him and came a little closer. "Tifa told us that this isn't...our future, which I guess is a good thing considering what we escaped, but it's still a little confusin'." He scratched the back of his neck. "But she said you aren't the Cloud we came to know."

The blond still looked wholly uncomfortable. He didn't want to know what his alter ego had been up to. He didn't have much to say, just a wariness that this Zack would angrily yell at him again for something he didn't do.

"What she did tell me, was that you are someone I would have as a living legacy. I guess we've both seen our share of things, haven't we? I mean, I still feel a bit strange about all this, but it's not your fault."

"I...I guess...?" Cloud fidgeted in place. Zack slowly came up to him, then put his arm around his shoulder. He felt sturdier than the young cadet he had known before the Nibelheim Incident. "I don't wanna know what I...he, did."

"Don't worry, I'm all outta breath from telling Tifa. She's waitin' for you, y'know."

Cloud nodded, then swallowed hard. He was still waiting for the rug to be ripped out from under him. He still waited even as they approached camp, with Zack trying to give him some sort of gentle peptalk that was replied to with grunts; Cloud was in a mild state of shock, and Zack was too busy trying to soothe him to notice.

He was wondering how different this Zack and Aerith would be. Well, Zack was certainly still Zack, but what of Aerith? What history did they have? His mind flashed to Tifa. She was probably still mad at him, and now he had to deal with this on top of everything else. How was he going to stop Jenova? How was he going to get everyone home?

"Cloud?"

His eyes snapped downward and towards Tifa. For the first time today she looked concerned. Her hand patted the ground next to her, and he hesitated until her face fell into a pleading stare. Soon enough he was mindlessly chomping on a cube of monster meat, a small bowl of rice sitting on one of his knees. Cloud watched as Zack sat next to Aerith, who was watching him hawkishly, as if he might do something to Tifa.

Zack was tearing into his dinner like he hadn't eaten in days. He supposed he hadn't, with how sallow he looked in the light of the campfire. It was much more obvious now in a brighter light. Aerith, too. There were two sticks of meat set aside for him, but he wasn't that hungry. Cloud took his second stick, and stretched it out towards the two on the other side of the fire.

"Y'sure, Cloud?" Zack looked like he was ready to pounce on the meat.

The blond nodded. "I was loafing around all day, anyway."

With that the meat was taken and divided between Aerith and Zack. The ex-Soldier grinned at him. "Thanks! It's been way too long since we had anything fresh to eat."

Aerith still seemed unsure about him, so Cloud moved his gaze to Tifa as she began to finish up her rice. Then, he looked at her belly. Was she eating enough? He wondered if he should have given the meat to her. Tifa noticed his stare. "You okay?" She waited for an answer but only received a slack jawed expression in return. His brain was overworked. "...Nevermind."

When it came time to retire Tifa let Aerith and Zack take their tent. She said it would be nice to sleep under the stars, and the two finally crept into the tent with a few last lingering looks at the couple they never expected to see. They said good night to both Nanakis, the cubs, Yuffie, Vincent and their descendants, who had been content to talk amongst each other as the other four had tried to ease into this new twist of fate.

Cloud found his head resting on a bag of rice, Tifa resting on the other side. He was still trying to sort everything out in his head, and wondering if he could possibly sleep. He would have kept watch, but Vincent was already doing so. Would Vincent rest so he could walk about the camp? But what if that set Zack and Aerith on edge? He just didn't know.

He jumped when Tifa wrapped her hand around his. He glanced over at her, the stress he was under expressed through his eyes. She gently put the fingers of her other hand through his bangs. "I'm sorry."

She was sorry? Sorry for what? "Huh?"

"Oh, Cloud." Tifa snuggled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder. After a moment he responded, their bodies molding together comfortably. Just feeling her in this familiar pose was relaxing. "I shouldn't have been so harsh."

"Oh." He snaked his hand towards her cheek, and softly rubbed it like a worry stone. "I..." He paused, trying to collect his thoughts so he wouldn't ruin the moment. "I'm scared," he admitted in a whisper.

He felt her nod. "I am, too."

They were both quiet after that, Cloud staring at the stars above while Tifa listened to his heartbeat. She slowly inhaled. "We'll get through this."

Cloud shrugged. "Maybe."

Tifa raised her head to look into his worry filled eyes. She looked the same, but for a glimmer of hope that never seemed to leave her. A small half smile crossed her face. "I think our odds have grown, don't you think?"

After a pause and a short snort Cloud tentatively nodded. "Maybe a little bit."

She rubbed his coarse cheek, and his hand found his way to hers as he leaned into her touch. "We can do this, Cloud. And when we get back, we'll grow our family."

Cloud used his other hand to ease her to lay on him, then ran his fingers through her hair. It was a little tangled from the humid day, but still soft. "...I'll hold on to that hope."

There wasn't much left to be said between them, Tifa's reassurances being a light balm on Cloud's psyche. They had two more allies in their fight against Jenova, though he had no idea how Minerva had done it. Did he even want to know? Did she lie about the specific time she could go back to? Or did she not know she could go between timelines?

What was stopping her from pulling him or anyone else into any infinite timelines to fight Jenova or Sephiroth? Maybe some were guaranteed losses. The bizarre answers were too overwhelming for a mere mortal, he mused. But still his mind churned, and his sleep was light and interrupted as the night went on.


End file.
